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Ben Smith / The Politico:
Stupak aims to sink ‘unacceptable’ abortion compromise — An aide to Rep. Bart Stupak (D. Mich.) coordinated opposition to the Senate health bill's abortion compromise this morning with the Republican Senate leadership according to a chain of frantic emails obtained this morning by POLITICO.
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Shailagh Murray / Washington Post:
Sen. Ben Nelson to announce support for health-care bill — Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.), the final Democratic holdout on health care, was prepared to announce to his caucus Saturday morning that he would support the Senate reform bill, clearing the way for final passage by Christmas.
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Chris Frates / The Politico:
Ben Nelson's Medicaid deal — Sen. Mary Landrieu got the “Louisiana Purchase.” Sen. Ben Nelson got the federal government to pick up most his state's future Medicaid tab — forever. — As part of the deal to win Nelson's support, the federal government will pay for Nebraska's new Medicaid recipients.
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Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
National Organization for Women opposes Senate health bill — A leading women's group called on senators on Saturday to defeat its healthcare reform bill. — The leader of the National Organization for Women (NOW) excoriated the language in the health bill curtailing federal support …
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Senate healthcare bill steepens payroll tax for high-earners in 2013 — The Senate's final healthcare bill steepens the payroll tax rates high-income Americans will face. — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) released a manager's amendment to the healthcare bill finalizing …
New York Times:
Democrats Clinch a Deal on Health Bill — WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats said on Saturday that they had clinched an agreement on a far-reaching overhaul of the nation's health care system, and that they were on track to approve the legislation by Christmas over fierce Republican opposition.
Ezra Klein:
The Congressional Budget Office scores the amended Senate bill — Another day, another Congressional Budget Office report (pdf) saying that health-care reform will cover more than 30 million people while substantially cutting the federal deficit. — There are a couple of changes worth noting here.
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TalkLeft
Igor / Wonk Room:
Nelson's Nebraska To Receive Extra Medicaid Funds Under Senate Bill — This morning's managers amendment to the merged Senate health bill goes a long way towards satisfying the demands of Democratic hold-out and all-important 60th vote Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE).
John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Nelson Agrees to Abortion Funding in at Least 13 States? — Harry Reid has released the manager's amendment that Ben Nelson has reportedly agreed to vote for, meaning that the Senate bill has 60 votes. The abortion language includes the phony segregation of funding language that was rejected in the House.
Igor / Wonk Room:
Senate Bill Would Allow States To Prohibit Abortion Coverage In Exchange — The new managers amendment to the merged Senate bill incorporates Sen. Bob Casey's (D-PA) language strengthening the segregation of private and public funds and increasing federal support for adoptions …
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:Breaking: Nelson will vote for cloture
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Scared Monkeys, GayPatriot, Support Your Local Gunfighter, Wonk Room and Jules Crittenden
Jeffrey Young / The Hill:CBO: Health bill spends $871B, reduces deficit by $132B
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The Political Carnival
Kevin Bogardus / The Hill: Coburn: Nelson agreement with leaders ‘threw unborn babies under the bus’
Chris Frates / The Politico:Nelson at the mic — In announcing his support of the Senate …
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The Page
SusanG / Daily Kos:
A defensive Obama demands up or down vote for health care — In a strikingly multi-purpose, multi-messaging weekly address, President Barack Obama this morning tackled— you guessed it — health care, in a discussion that ranged over old history and current events, sounding one part defensive to two parts exhortatory.
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Congress Matters
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Kevin Bogardus / The Hill:
Obama slams insurance industry going into health reform's home stretch — As the Senate prepares for a final round of votes on its healthcare reform bill, President Barack Obama chastised the insurance industry for its lobbying against the legislation. — In his weekly address Saturday …
Victoria Reggie Kennedy / Washington Post:
The moment Ted Kennedy would not want to lose — My late husband, Ted Kennedy, was passionate about health-care reform. It was the cause of his life. He believed that health care for all our citizens was a fundamental right, not a privilege, and that this year the stars …
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Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:A Good Bill — I don't want to endlessly rehash the intramural …
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Paul Krugman
The Huffington Post:
John Kerry Breaks Out Oppo, Takes On Howard Dean For ‘Kill The Bill’ Comments — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — The pushback against Howard Dean for his call to “kill” the Senate health care bill, continued on Friday night, with a prominent Senate Democrat picking out an old quote …
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Firedoglake
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Joe Conason / Salon:“It's unfair” — Howard Dean on why he doesn't support …
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Crooks and Liars
Ryan Ellis / Americans for Tax Reform RSS:
Comprehensive List of Tax Hikes in Reid-Obama Health Bill UPDATED — List of tax hikes in original Reid bill — (Page numbers reference ORIGINAL REID-OBAMA BILL unless noted): — Individual Mandate Tax (Page 324/Sec. 1501/$15 bil/Jan 2014): Starting in 2014, anyone not buying “qualifying” …
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