Landrieu Votes "Yes" On Healthcare Procedural Vote
By: RNS
Updated: November 22, 2009
(Washington, DC) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid won a key procedural vote on the massive two-thousand-page healthcare reform bill for Saturday evening.
The tally was 60-to-39 with every Democrat vote aye and every Republican voting nay to begin debate on the bill after the Thanksgiving recess. Those Democrats included Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu and Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln.
The cost of the Democratic healthcare bill is estimated to be nearly $850-billion over a decade.
The Senate and House measures include provisions for a government-run public option to compete with private insurance companies.
The Senate measure would give states the ability to "opt-out."
The GOP says the Democratic bill will raise taxes and health insurance premiums.
