US Senate bolsters preventive care for women
(For more on U.S. healthcare reform, click [ID:nN20512341])
* Senate breaks health stalemate with first votes
* Senate amendment follows controversy on mammograms
* Vote still pending on bill's Medicare cuts
WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate backed a planon Thursday to make it easier for women to get preventivehealth services such as mammograms as it cast its first voteson a sweeping healthcare overhaul.
On the fourth day of a sometimes bitter debate, the Senatevoted 61-39 for an amendment to improve access to women'sscreenings for diseases like cancer and diabetes by eliminatinginsurance co-pays and deductibles for them.
The move follows last month's controversy over federal taskforce recommendations that women delay regular mammograms forbreast cancer and from a doctor's group that women delay papsmears for cervical cancer.
On a 59-41 vote, the Senate rejected a companion Republicanamendment to ensure the task force recommendations could beignored, which Democrats said was "too tepid" and would notremove cost barriers to screenings.
The votes broke a two-day Senate stalemate that had stalledprogress on the healthcare reform bill, which is PresidentBarack Obama's top domestic priority. On Wednesday night, partyleaders finally agreed on a timeline for the votes.
Senate Democratic leaders have vowed to pass the healthcarebill by the end of December but Republicans want to prolong thedebate into the 2010 campaign season in hopes public oppositionto the plan will grow.
The Senate bill is designed to rein in costs, expandcoverage to about 30 million uninsured Americans and haltinsurance practices such as denying coverage to those withpre-existing medical conditions.
National polls show opinion is divided on the overhaul. AThomson Reuters poll on Thursday found most Americans back agovernment-run public insurance option in the plan but doubt ifthe bill will improve their healthcare in the short-term.
The Senate bill would require everyone to have insurance,provide federal subsidies to help them pay for coverage andcreate a government-run insurance option to compete withprivate industry.
DELICATE COALITION
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid faces a difficult taskkeeping his fragile coalition together for potential votes onthe public option and on language restricting use of federalfunds to pay for abortions.
Democrats control 60 votes in the 100-member Senate -- thenumber needed to overcome Republican opposition -- but ahandful of moderate Democrats have objected to the publicoption and abortion provisions.
The amendment to ease access to preventive healthscreenings like mammograms, authored by Democrat BarbaraMikulski, drew support from three Republicans -- Olympia Snowe,Susan Collins and David Vitter. Two Democrats, Russ Feingoldand Ben Nelson, voted against it.
The first few days of the debate featured heavy politicalskirmishing. The Senate votes later on Thursday on a Republicanamendment highlighting the bill's more than $400 billion incuts in Medicare, the health program for the elderly.
Democrats accused Republicans of scare tactics for claimingthe cuts will reduce benefits for seniors, a key voting blocthat polls show have great concerns about the overhaul.
Democrats say the cuts would simply reduce the growth inpayments to Medicare providers and would extend the program'ssolvency by five years.
"They've apparently decided there's no way to defend theseMedicare cuts so they'll just deny they're doing it," SenateRepublican leader Mitch McConnell said. "It hardly passes thesmell test."
The House of Representatives passed its version of theoverhaul last month. If the Senate passes a bill, the twoversions will have to be reconciled in January and passed againby each chamber before being sent to Obama for his signature.
(Editing by Bill Trott) ((john.whitesides@thomsonreuters.com; +1 202-898-8300;Reuters Messaging: john.whitesides.reuters.com@reuters.net))
Source: Reuters
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