As the Senate mulls a timetable on initiating debate on the reform bill, the AARP is holding firm on its political backing of the Democrats’ House formulations. The GOP, ironically the party that is telling its constituents that it wants to “save Medicare”, is warning that providers will essentially stop seeing Medicare patients. This is all based upon a CMS report that forecasts cuts to the program based upon President Obama’s plan to use some of those monies to fund a public option provision — threatening public-private partnerships (Medicare Advantage plans). What amounts to posturing by the Republicans in advance of Senate debate is summed up in a letter [PDF] addressed to the influential seniors’ lobby.

HR 4038, otherwise known as the “Republican alternative” to the House reform bill recently passed, argues against a public option. It soundly went to defeat earlier this month as the Democrats’ historic version passed. The GOP appears to be making a public posture to put the pressure on Senate Republicans to vote against any version with a public option provision. The controversial Stupak amendment just may give them that “out”.

Yesterday, Bart Stupak, a Democratic congressman from Michigan, warned that if the Senate version was stripped of his abortion restrictions (his amendment which got the bill passed in the House), there would be no reform bill with a sound public option. Potentially, women with employer-based insurance plans which cover the range of women’s health and reproductive services will be at risk.

Are progressives throwing the pro-choice movement under the bus to get Obamacare passed? Or, will a woman’s civil liberties essentially be up for debate in the Senate, as some Republicans suggest? AARP support or not, it should be interesting to see what really motivates Republicans (and more importantly, moderate Democrats) in the Senate to modify the breadth of what ultimately passes as a public option. | LINK

Related Posts Within Doctor Pundit:

1. Senate Rejects Nelson’s Anti-Abortion Maneuver, Public Option Threatened The news out of the Hill today: the Senate rejected...
2. House Democrats Release Reform Bill, Speaker to Make Concessions on Public Option The House Democrats’ version of the health reform bill has...
3. Top Reform Minded Democrats Look to AARP for Public Relations Advantage in Healthcare Debate Democrats are starting to feel the heat. Okay, they’ve felt...