“I can only support a bill if the Cadillac plans are taxed at the level they are in the Senate [bill,]” said Landrieu. “It’s not because I’m thrilled about taxing those plans, which I’m not, but it is the No. 1 cost-containment measure in the bill. It’s what is going to drive costs down over time.”
Nelson said he would not support the final bill if it included the House proposal to impose a tax surcharge on individuals earning more than $500,000 and families earning more than $1 million.
“I’ve already said that would be a deal-breaker,” said Nelson.
Lincoln also said she has great concern. “If it moves very much at all from where we are, it’s going to be hard,” she said.
Bastards!
Question: How will ousting Bernie Sanders fix the fact that healthcare reform hinges on the conservadems? And it's not just because the conservadems are willing to sabotage good legislation -- it's chiefly because they have the electoral leverage to do so.
In other words, a progressive-leaning candidate probably won't win Senate seats in Arkansas, Louisiana or Nebraska until voters are convinced that progressivism is better. This is a decades-long process of ideological transformation. But that's where progressive movement effort should be focused. Make it safer for Democrats to lean left. When that happens, we get more lefty laws.