May 17, 2012

Clyburn: Obama to announce his health care position soon

The health care adviser in the White House is calling for an up or down vote on health care legislation and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying to rally Democrats to support a final proposal. Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office on Health Reform told NBC’s Meet the Press that Obama is ready to move his health care bill using a legislative tactic in the Senate that would require only 51 votes for passage.

James Clyburn

South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn, who has had a part in crafting the legislation, says he expects President Obama to announce Wednesday or Thursday what his position is on the bill.

C-N-N reports that Obama’s health care plan would create coverage to 31 million people and change insurance industry regulations. It includes a mandate that almost everyone obtain health insurance or pay a fine. It provides financial aid to those who cannot afford to purchase insurance. That would be paid for using a tax on the unearned income of the wealthy.

Clyburn says the bill to be voted on will be a reconciliation package.  He says the main work is already done and now it’s time to get rid of the special deals that some states like Florida received.  Democrats have said the plan is for the House to pass the version the Senate passed last year, and negotiators in both chambers would agree to a separate package of changes that would go before the Senate using reconciliation rules.

Democrats on TRAC considering 388: It’s about time! (Audio)

Democrats say finally Republicans have come around to what Democrats were asserting all along, that if the Taxation Realignment Commission, or TRAC, is going to look at part of the tax structure, it should look at all of it.

South Carolina House members voted Thursday to allow the Taxation Realignment Commission to consider all of the state’s tax structure, including Act 388. The group had been told originally that it was not to consider that major part of the state’s tax revenues.

Act 388 added a penny sales tax and took all the school operating tax off of owner-occupied homes, putting more pressure on the business community to support state revenue.

Chesterfield County Democrat Ted Vick sponsored an amendment last year that would have allowed TRAC to consider 388.  He says Act 388 was not a good idea and that revenues which support the state need to be attached to a stable source.

(Vick on TRAC  MP3  2:07)
Vick on TRAC