Democrats' Struggle to Pass Health Care Overhaul Bill Heats Up

As Democrats continue their efforts to pass a comprehensive health care overhaul bill, Republicans are employing tactics to slow down the process. In a move to slow action on the bill, Republican senators forced the reading of a 767-page amendment that would extend single-payer health care to Americans, prompting sponsor Bernard Sanders to withdraw it. The struggle to pass the bill has become increasingly challenging, with it becoming less clear whether Democrats can finish the overhaul by Christmas. The reading of the Sanders amendment displayed the tactics the GOP will use to slow action on what they regard as a fatally flawed measure.

Key Takeaways:

Republicans forced the reading of a 767-page amendment that would extend single-payer health care to Americans, prompting Sanders to withdraw it.
The amendment was part of a comprehensive health care overhaul bill that has been struggling to gain traction in the Senate.
Senator Bernard Sanders, the sponsor of the amendment, withdrew it after it was forced to be read on the floor for over two hours.
The delay caused by the reading of the amendment has put the finish of the overhaul by Christmas in jeopardy.
The GOP's tactics have sparked anger from Democrats, with Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin calling their actions "imperils the safety of our nation."
Democrat Robert Menendez of New Jersey expressed his disappointment with the delay, saying the Republicans "should be ashamed of themselves."
Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., said she would vote for the bill absent a surprising score from the CBO, but Senators Sanders and Ben Nelson have not yet committed to voting for the measure.
Nelson has expressed concerns about the abortion provisions and other issues in the bill, while Sanders has stated that he is doing his best to see if they can come out with a bill that is meaningful to ordinary Americans.

Statistics:

The 767-page Sanders amendment was forced to be read on the floor, taking over two hours to complete.
The vote on the Sanders amendment resulted in a 56-41 vote to table a motion by Kay Bailey Hutchison to commit the health care bill to the Finance Committee.
As of early evening, it was the chamber's only vote of the day.
The Democrats' efforts to pass the bill have been met with opposition from Republicans, who argue that the bill is "fatally flawed."

Sources:

Source 1: CQ HealthBeat