Democrats got the 60 votes they needed Saturday night to begin debate on the multi-trillion-dollar health care bill, mainly because several lawmakers who had been sitting on the fence stood to gain from the move.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., appeared to be swayed by language in the bill that would specifically expand federal Medicaid subsidies for "certain states recovering from a major disaster."
Mary Harned, staff counsel with Americans United for Life, said Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., also voted in favor of starting debate, even though he opposes abortion coverage in the bill.
"There's a provision to allow a public option to include abortion coverage," she said. "There's also a provision that allows federal subsidies to go to private insurance plans that include abortion coverage, and there's a provision that ensures there's at least one private plan in every coverage area that includes abortion."
Prior to the vote, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., addressed the Chamber.
"The American people are looking at the Senate tonight," he said. "There's nothing about this massive bill that they like. They want us to address their real concerns. All it would take is just one member of the other side of the aisle – just one – to give us an opportunity, not to end the debate, but to change the debate in the direction the American people would like us to go."
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