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Senior House Democrats are cobbling together a new bill on healthcare, attaching a student aid bill that passed last September to the existing proposed healthcare legislation. The student aid bill, which cuts out private lenders from student loan programs altogether, passed the House by a greater margin than the healthcare bill – twenty seven more votes to be exact. Additionally, attaching the bills together allows them to be voted on by a simple majority in the Senate, using a budget reconciliation process. Under reconciliation rules, there can be no filibuster. Although the bill has not yet been formally introduced, President Obama postponed a scheduled trip abroad for three days in anticipation of a vote as early as this Friday. Some changes to the healthcare bill are expected in the Senate, including to provisions on high-priced or so-called Cadillac plans, the removal of special provisions for Florida’s Medicare and Nebraska’s Medicaid populations, an increase in Medicaid funding, and increased subsidies for the uninsured.

GUEST: Ellen Shaffer, co-director of the California-based Center for Policy Analysis, focusing on health policy.

Find out more at www.centerforpolicyanalysis.org.

Sign a Petition to urge Nancy Pelosi to preserve the Public Option: http://act.boldprogressives.org/cms/sign/petition_pelosi_po/

Contact info for California Democrats to urge a Yes vote on health reform and for a public option:

Congressman Jim Costa of California’s 20th District
Email: http://www.house.gov/formcosta/issue.htm
Phone: 202-225-3341 (DC Office), 559-495-1620 (Fresno Office), 661-869-1620 (Bakersfield office)
Website: http://www.costa.house.gov/

Congressman Dennis Cardoza of California’s 18th District
Email: Visit https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml and type in 18th District zip code (eg. 95340).
Phone: (202) 225-6131 (DC office), (209) 383-4455 (Merced Office), (209) 527-1914 (Modesto Office), (209) 946-0361 (Stockton Office)
Website: http://www.house.gov/cardoza/