Landrieu and Klobuchar announce support for health bill

The (Monroe, La.) News-Star: "Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu said Wednesday she will vote for the Senate's health care reform bill, calling the latest version a 'dramatic improvement' over previous proposals. Her support is critical to passing the massive bill, a priority for Democrats and President Barack Obama. Landrieu, a moderate, was among a small group of senators who met in recent weeks to work out a compromise on major aspects of the legislation" (Berry, 12/17).

Minnesota Public Ratio: "Despite two key provisions being stripped from the health care legislation that's moving through the Senate, both of Minnesota's senators still support the overall bill. … 'Instead of lamenting things that didn't get into the bill, I think it's really important to look at some of the strengths of this bill,' [Sen. Amy] Klobuchar told MPR's Cathy Wurzer on Wednesday. ... [Sen. Al] Franken said he also expects to support the bill as long as the latest language and analysis from the Congressional Budget Office shows the legislation will prevent Minnesota families from losing coverage or going bankrupt due to medical debt" (Dunbar, 12/16).

The Boston Globe: "Recalling the late Edward M. Kennedy's dream of changing the health care system in the United States, Massachusetts Senator Paul Kirk called today for his colleagues to approve the health care reform bill. Kirk, who was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to hold the seat left vacant by Kennedy's death, told his colleagues in a speech on the Senate floor that 'we stand on the threshold of history'" (12/16).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.