Senators Tweet It Out Over 'Death Panels'

End-of-life counseling provided in Medicare bill

(NEWSER) - They’re up in arms against it now, but Republicans voted for a measure providing end-of-life counseling in 2003, Amy Sullivan writes for Time. That year’s Medicare prescription drug bill, which boasted support from 204 GOP representatives and 42 senators, offered funding for “counseling the beneficiary with respect to end-of-life issues and care options”—a provision very similar to the current proposal's. More»

(NEWSER) - Put Sen. Chuck Grassley in the fear-the-death-panels camp. Asked today at a town hall meeting to debunk that line of attack, Grassley did precisely the opposite, reports the Iowa Independent. "You have every right to fear," said Grassley—who, by the way, is one of three Republicans negotiating a health bill on the Senate finance panel, notes the Huffington Post. "We should not have a government program that determines if you're going to pull the plug on grandma." More»

Baucus leads 'Board of Directors' in tough bipartisan negotiations

(NEWSER) - If Barack Obama succeeds in overhauling America's health care system by the end of 2009, he'll have to thank a bipartisan group of nine senators charged with developing a bill that can muster 60 votes. The "Board of Directors"—named by Max Baucus, Obama's go-to figure for health reform—has been holding weekly meetings to flesh out a deal, but as Politico reports, it's been slow going. More»

He's a man of two parties amid anti-incumbent fever

(NEWSER) - Arlen Specter is in a dogfight to keep his Senate seat—the latest poll has fellow Democrat Joe Sestak up 9 points, notes USA Today —and no wonder. The Republican-turned-Democrat looks "like an incumbent of two parties in a year when it’s better to be an incumbent of none," writes Margaret Carlson. More»

Health bill error may leave lawmakers, aides without coverage

(NEWSER) - If you know exactly how the health care reform bill will impact your coverage, you may be a step ahead of your member of Congress, according to the New York Times . A report from the Congressional Research Service found that—because of imprecise language and a possible drafting error in the bill—senators, representatives, and their staffers may end up having their coverage pulled with no ready replacement. More»