Dear Clients,

DataPath Administrative Services will be closed November 26th and 27th in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. We will resume our normal business hours on Monday, November 30th.

Thank you and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Senate Passes Cloture Vote to Debate Public Option

The United States Senate passed a “Cloture Vote” on Harry Reid’s Health Reform Bill, HR 3590, presumably to “begin debate” on a bill containing a public option. For those who see a vote to “begin debate” as not necessarily a threat to the passage of the eventual bill, you should know that close to 97% of all bills which pass as a cloture vote are eventually passed in the Senate. Reid struggled to get the 60 votes required to get the vote passed, and he faces definite opposition within his own party to get the actual Bill passed, as Joe Lieberman and Blanche Lincoln have both stated that they flatly refuse to vote for a bill that contains a public option. There is still the possibility, however, that Democrats will try to call the bill a “reconciliation” bill and thus require only a 2/3 majority vote. The vote puts Blanch Lincoln in a particularly precarious position, as Republican challengers are lining up to oppose her next year.

Please take the time today to contact your Congressional delegation (in Arkansas 2nd district Sen. Lincoln, Sen. Pryor and Rep Snyder) and give your opinion on health care reform. Attached are some facts about the proposed legislation.

http://www.senate.gov
http://www.house.gov/
www.savemyflexplan.org

To hear an audio transcript of the Bill, or hear the audio, click here.