With healthcare vote in balance, McCain in 'good spirits' after surgery

[webfact]

With healthcare vote in balance, McCain in 'good spirits' after surgery

By Steve Holland and Richard Cowan

 

Healthcare activists protest to stop the Republican health care bill at Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 17, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator John McCain, a critical vote in the U.S. Senate's healthcare overhaul, was described as upbeat and comfortable in Arizona on Monday but was still days away from travelling to Washington after surgery to remove a blood clot from his head.

 

The Arizona senator underwent surgery on Saturday to remove a clot above his left eye discovered during a physical examination, forcing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to postpone a healthcare vote and throwing the timing of the debate into uncertainty.

 

In the meantime, the White House continued its efforts to persuade uncommitted Republican senators to vote for the legislation, with several senators set to dine with President Donald Trump on Monday evening.

 

McCain's support is vital for the bill, which needs the backing of at least 50 of the 52 Republicans in the 100-member Senate. Republicans Susan Collins and Rand Paul already have said they will not vote to open debate on the legislation - meaning one more "no" vote would kill it.

 

"Senator McCain is in good spirits and recovering comfortably at home with his family. On the advice of his doctors, Senator McCain will be recovering in Arizona this week. As available, more information on Senator McCain’s progress will be made public," said McCain spokeswoman Julie Tarallo.

 

Senator Lindsey Graham, a close friend of the 80-year-old senator, told CNN that McCain had been growing forgetful in recent weeks.

 

"I'm glad they found out what I think was the cause," Graham said. "After talking to him - I talked to him Sunday - (he was) just like the old John McCain, much more engaged in conversation."

 

Another friend who had talked to McCain, said "he sounds great" and that he was so eager to get back into the action in Washington that he was musing about the prospect of taking a cross-country road trip.

 

Changes in cabin pressure associated with air travel could harm the recovery for McCain, who survived a bout of melanoma in 2000. While his office has said the recovery could take a week, medical experts told the New York Times the recovery time for such procedures is often longer.

 

"We hope John McCain gets better very soon. We miss him," Trump said at a White House economic event. "He's a crusty voice in Washington, plus we need his vote."

 

Even with McCain, Republicans face plenty of obstacles to passage of the measure to replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. Democrats are united in opposition to the bill, and Collins estimated on Sunday that "eight to 10" Republicans still have serious doubts about it.

 

Other Republican senators who have expressed concerns or remain noncommittal include Rob Portman, Mike Lee, Shelley Moore Capito, Dean Heller, John Hoeven, Lisa Murkowski, Jeff Flake, Ben Sasse, Cory Gardner, Todd Young and Thom Tillis.

 

A Senate Republican aide said senators were reluctant to be the third "no" vote, essentially sinking the bill, so many of the undecideds will hold off until the last minute in declaring their stance.

 

WHITE HOUSE PUSH

 

Senator Orrin Hatch, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, met with White House officials on Monday. Trump plans on holding a dinner at the White House in the evening that congressional aides said would include Senators Lamar Alexander, John Cornyn, Steve Daines and James Lankford, among others.

 

Cornyn was asked whether the group would discuss how to bring holdouts into the fold. "I hope so," he replied.

 

An extended delay could endanger passage, as the Senate faces an agenda packed with other legislation and critics of the measure hope to use the delay to increase opposition to it.

 

Top Senate Democrats sent a letter to Republicans on Monday suggesting they hold a public hearing during the delay, saying it would allow senators to hear "unfiltered and unbiased" feedback on the bill.

 

The letter also requested that Republicans make a commitment not to proceed on the bill without a complete score from the Congressional Budget Office, which was initially expected to release an analysis on Monday but has delayed that report.

 

Over the weekend, a threatening note was left at Heller's Las Vegas office. Officers who responded to a burglary alarm at the building found the note near the office door on Sunday morning, police said in a statement on Monday. The content of the note was not released.

 

New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman intends to sue the federal government if Republican lawmakers pass legislation to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, his office said on Monday.

 

(Writing by John Whitesides and James Oliphant. Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell.; Editing by Mary Milliken and Jonathan Oatis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-18

[Thakkar]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The Arizona senator underwent surgery on Saturday to remove a clot above his left eye discovered during a physical examination, forcing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to postpone a healthcare vote and throwing the timing of the debate into uncertainty

 

The fact that a two-inch blood clot is saving the American health care system

 

 

Stephanie Thompson (@Stefaniya)

16/7/2017, 11:04 AM Get better soon with your excellent healthcare plan, Sen. McCain, so you can hurry back to D.C. and vote to take healthcare away from others

[stevenl]

Apparently also Mike Lee and Jerry Moran have stated they will vote against the plan.

 

Trump has already tweeted he wants to demolish the ACA anyway.

[tonray]

Bill pulled and dead.  Tired of so much winning yet? 

[ilostmypassword]

Health Care Overhaul Collapses as Two Republican Senators Defect

Two more Republican senators declared on Monday night that they would oppose the Senate Republican bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, killing, for now, a seven-year-old promise to overturn President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement.

The announcement by the senators, Mike Lee of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kansas, left their leaders at least two votes short of the number needed to begin debate on their bill to dismantle the health law. Two other Republican senators, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine, had already said they would not support a procedural step to begin debate.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/us/politics/health-care-overhaul-collapses-as-two-republican-senators-defect.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=span-ab-top-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

[lungmi]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Senator Lindsey Graham, a close friend of the 80-year-old senator, told CNN that McCain had been growing forgetful in recent weeks.

 

"I'm glad they found out what I think was the cause," Graham said. "After talking to him - I talked to him Sunday - (he was) just like the old John McCain, much more engaged in conversation."

And the growing forgetful Mr Trump. He needs a doctor too.

[Thaidream]

There is no way a Senator can explain a yes vote on this bill which gives the wealthy tax relief and forces millions off of healthcare because they won't be able to afford the cost.  In addition- the bill lowers medicaid levels which also pushes more people to the uninsured roles.

 

Hard to believe that the biggest economy in the World cannot provide universal healthcare to its citizens but has no problem raising it;s defense budget, already the largest in the World by another 55 Billion dollars/

[Jingthing]

The senate bill has officially FAILED. Not even enough votes to bring it to the floor for debate.

So the esteemed Senator McCain can take his sweet time recovering! 

 

[Becker]

Note to man-child supporters;

Please enjoy a well-earned rest as all the winning must have made you bigly tired.

Covfefe!

[pegman]

8 hours ago, Thaidream said:

There is no way a Senator can explain a yes vote on this bill which gives the wealthy tax relief and forces millions off of healthcare because they won't be able to afford the cost.  In addition- the bill lowers medicaid levels which also pushes more people to the uninsured roles.

 

Hard to believe that the biggest economy in the World cannot provide universal healthcare to its citizens but has no problem raising it;s defense budget, already the largest in the World by another 55 Billion dollars/

Do you really think a guy like McCain, who left his wife and three kids for a rich USC cheerleader  after they had waited for him to come back from the war, cares less about other people's  healthcare  needs? That being said there isn't a would be war that McCain doesn't fall in love with. Their's is a very cold hearted society which is reflected in their politicians. 

[Rancid]

With healthcare you need to consider the lobbyists. Now are government going to provide a system that benefits the public or a system that benefits, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and the medical industry?

 

Now you may consider that socialized systems are better and in some ways they are, however they still are about the pharmaceutical industry getting approved overpriced drugs (and now compulsory vaccines) paid for by government and doctors still limiting the amount of practitioners to keep their clinics full and of course the referral system where patients make numerous and profitable pit-stops on the way to a treatment.

 

Healthcare (sic) isn't the most profitable business on the planet for no reason.

[pegman]

Unfortunate news that Senator McCain has brain cancer. Best of luck sir in your treatment.

[ilostmypassword]

20 hours ago, Rancid said:

With healthcare you need to consider the lobbyists. Now are government going to provide a system that benefits the public or a system that benefits, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and the medical industry?

 

Now you may consider that socialized systems are better and in some ways they are, however they still are about the pharmaceutical industry getting approved overpriced drugs (and now compulsory vaccines) paid for by government and doctors still limiting the amount of practitioners to keep their clinics full and of course the referral system where patients make numerous and profitable pit-stops on the way to a treatment.

 

Healthcare (sic) isn't the most profitable business on the planet for no reason.

And yet the cost in France is about half as much per person as in the USA. And they get much better results. In fact that's true for virtually all developed nations that practice socialized medicine. Better results and cheaper .( In fact, because those countries cover all their citizens, and the USA doesn't, the true cost in those countries is even cheaper than the statistics show.) So it's massively less profitable in those countries then it is in the USA. 

[pegman]

20 hours ago, Rancid said:

With healthcare you need to consider the lobbyists. Now are government going to provide a system that benefits the public or a system that benefits, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and the medical industry?

 

Now you may consider that socialized systems are better and in some ways they are, however they still are about the pharmaceutical industry getting approved overpriced drugs (and now compulsory vaccines) paid for by government and doctors still limiting the amount of practitioners to keep their clinics full and of course the referral system where patients make numerous and profitable pit-stops on the way to a treatment.

 

Healthcare (sic) isn't the most profitable business on the planet for no reason.

Well for one most countries negotiate fair prices with the pharmaceutical companies. The  farcically corrupt American Congress made a law outlawing that. 

[pegman]

4 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

And yet the cost in France is about half as much per person as in the USA. And they get much better results. In fact that's true for virtually all developed nations that practice socialized medicine. Better results and cheaper .( In fact, because those countries cover all their citizens, and the USA doesn't, the true cost in those countries is even cheaper than the statistics show.) So it's massively less profitable in those countries then it is in the USA. 

Not just profit but healthcare executive pay in the stratosphere. No government guy in healthcare in Canada makes $47m.

 

http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/20-highest-paid-healthcare-ceos-in-2015.html

[ilostmypassword]

57 minutes ago, pegman said:

Well for one most countries negotiate fair prices with the pharmaceutical companies. The  farcically corrupt American Congress made a law outlawing that. 

Actually, they banned it for Medicare. Not for Medicaid. And I'll leave it to you to make a wild guess in which programs drug costs are cheaper.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/us/16drug.html