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U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley has formally laid out his reasons for voting against proposed health care legislation taken up by the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday morning.
File photo: Sen Charles Grassley. (Lauren Victoria Burke/wdcpix.com)
While Grassley has long worked on a compromise bill with Democrats, it appears the legislation put forward by his good friend, Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, does not compromise enough.
“I don’t think it does what it was portrayed to do over the long haul,” Grassley said. “There are some good aspects of it but I intend to vote against it.”
The bill in question does not include a public option, which has been Grassley’s sticking point from the very beginning. It does, however, contain several provisions that make it impossible for Iowa’s senior senator to support it, he said.
He opposes provisions in the bill that would require all Americans to carry health insurance or face financial penalties, though waivers or discounts would be provided for lower-income Americans. Many believe Grassley’s position on this portion of the bill has changed since this summer.
He believes insurance premiums will go up, citing new taxes and fees in the bill as his proof, and believes the bill will damage Medicare Advantage, a private insurance plan that covers a quarter of Medicare recipients. Experts have concluded that basic benefits that mirror regular Medicare will stay the same, but the extra benefits that people receive under Advantage could be changed.
Ultimately, Grassley pointed to a pair of debunked myths as reasons to oppose the health care reform bill, saying it does too little to block federal money being spent on abortions and for illegal immigrants.
Despite being repeatedly proven false, opponents of reform continue to claim abortion will be covered under the legislation.
The claim that illegal immigrants will receive health insurance is also a myth, as a House version of reform specifically states “undocumented aliens” will not be eligible for credits to help them buy health insurance. Republicans contend that the legislation does not directly mention a citizenship verification procedure, therefore making it possible for illegal immigrants to get around the ban.
In the end, though, Grassley said he expects the bill to pass the Senate Finance Committee on a party-line vote.
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