Via Roll Call, a bipartisan group of senators on Friday urged Democratic leaders to slow the pace of the health reform debate to ensure that the final product actually reins in long-term health care spending. “While we are committed to providing relief for American families as quickly as possible,” the lawmakers wrote, “we believe taking additional time to achieve a bipartisan result is critical for legislation that affects 17 percent of our economy and every individual in the U.S.”
The letter to Senate leaders Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was spearheaded by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), with Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) also signing on, according to Roll Call.
The concern stems from the Congressional Budget Office’s damning assessment yesterdayof two health reform proposals already in the works — one from House leaders and the other from the Senate health committee. CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf told the Senate Budget Committee yesterday that both proposals would make the country’s health-spending dilemmaworse, rather than reining in costs as they were designed to do. A third proposal, currently being drafted by leaders of the Senate Finance Committee, was expected for release this week, but that timeline was extended in the wake of the Elmendorf testimony.