Senate Finance Committee Approves Health Care Reform Bill and Moves toward Reconciliation

Posted by Jason Greis on October 15, 2009 under Articles | Be the First to Comment

On October 14, 2009 the Senate Finance Committee became the fifth and final Congressional Committee to approve a health care reform bill. Passing the Committee 14-9, every Democrat plus Republican Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) voted for the bill.  For Chairman Baucus (D-MT), gaining Sen. Snowe’s vote was a big win, but equally important was his ability to hold the Democrats together for this vote.  Senators John Rockefeller (D-WV), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) all expressed concerns with the bill during its consideration, and none of them had stated definitively how they would vote on the bill until the final moments. Read More...