Health care bill advances, Iowa senators react

The Senate Finance Committee passed its version of health care reform today.   It passed with 14 “yes” votes — 13 came from the 13 Democrats on the committee. The 14th came from Senator Olympia Snowe, a Republican from Maine.  Senator Charles Grassley (R-New Hartford, Iowa) — the top-ranking Republican on the committee — was a “no” vote.  Here’s Grassley’s full statement.

Here’s part of a sentence from Grassley’s statement if you want to get the flavor of what Grassley had to say, but want an extremely condensed version:

“There is a clear and significant philosophical difference between the two sides.”

U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Cumming, Iowa) will be in the room when a small handful of folks write the health care reform plan that the senate will consider.  Harkin is the new chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.  Read Harkin’s statement on today’s Senate Finance Committee action below.  Here’s part of a sentence, if you want to get the flavor of what Harkin had to say, but want an extremely condensed version:  “We are one step closer.”

Washington, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today issued the following statement on the Senate Finance Committee’s passage of its health reform bill.

“I applaud Chairman Baucus and the Senate Finance Committee for approving a strong health reform effort today,” Harkin said.  “With this vote, we are one step closer to the health reform Americans need and deserve – reform that provides affordable, quality coverage to all Americans and lowers the costs that are crippling family budgets and impacting businesses around the country.  Our two Committees have worked closely over the last year on this effort and we will continue to work together as these two bills are merged and brought to the Senate floor.”

The Senate HELP Committee passed its health reform bill, the Affordable Health Choices Act, in July.  The two Senate bills will now be merged before the final bill goes to the full Senate.