F-

It's an email link so in case you can't open it, here it is:

1. A New Public Plan. Both the House and Senate bills would create a new government-run health care plan -- a so-called public plan -- intended to “compete” with private insurers in a new health insurance exchange. The result: widespread erosion of private insurance and substantial consolidation of federal control over health care through the exchange. Congress is incapable of guaranteeing the American people a level playing field for competition between the government plans and private health plans. As the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has recently certified, what many have already concluded, millions of Americans will lose their existing employer-based coverage.

2. Federal Regulation of Health Insurance. Both the House and Senate bills would result in sweeping and complex federal regulation of health insurance that will create a one-size-fits-all federal health plan that will drive up (not down, as promised by President Obama) the cost of everyone’s health insurance premiums.

3. Massive Expansion of Medicaid and New Taxpayer-Funded Subsidies. Both the House and Senate would dramatically expand eligibility for Medicaid and extend generous taxpayer-funded subsidies to the middle class. Combined, such commitments are the biggest cost items in the bills would result in scores of Americans dependent on the government to finance their health care.

4. Employer Mandates. Both the House and Senate bills would impose an employer mandate for employers who do not offer coverage and for those whose benefits do not meet a new federal standard. An employer mandate would hurt low-income workers and would stifle much-needed economic growth. Our country does not need a job killing employment tax at a time of 10.2% unemployment.

5. Individual Mandates. Both the House and Senate bills would require all people to buy health insurance. Those individuals who do not purchase government-qualified health care coverage would be subject to new tax penalties and, in some cases, jail.

In other words, same crap, different pot.

Also, Reid's taking a page from Pelosi and having the vote to open debate go off this Saturday night.

So, get your popcorn, ice cream, maybe a bottle of something brown, sit back and watch C-Span for all the shenanigans. Seriously, for those of you who missed the House vote, I'm telling you there's really nothing more entertaining on television.

This is only a vote to open debate. But it looks like it could be another squeaker. Reid needs 60 votes to get started and right now it's a toss-up as to whether he has it.

Several senators will be absent and a handful are still on the fence as of now. The list of important calls to make if you're so inclined is below:

McCaskill:202-224-6154
Landrieu: 202-224-5824
Collins: 202-224-2523
Snowe: 202-224-5344
Merkley: 202-224-3753
Wyden: 202-224-5244
Conrad: 224-5521
Stabenow: 224-4822
Nelson: 224-5274
Cantwell: 224-3441

(from the Smart Girls)

A complete list of Senators numbers is here.

Burn it up people. If Reid can't even get this off the ground on Saturday there's a better than average chance his December 18th deadline will crumble as well, pushing any vote on the merits into next year.

The longer we can hold this back, the better our chances become for squeamish Senators to think twice about their vote.

Russ