Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 17, 1994 TAG: 9408170088
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
After five days of debate on a two-page amendment by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., the Senate voted 55-42 to expand coverage for pregnant women and children. Two Republicans voted for it; one Democrat voted no.
``We're off and running. This is the beginning,'' said Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D.
Republicans scoffed and said this was just the start of a long battle.
The vote on Dodd's amendment was the first action on Majority Leader George Mitchell's 1,443-page bill. Even as it was occurring, 20 or more senators worked behind the scenes to fashion a bipartisan compromise aimed at forcing major changes.
Among the possibilities the ``mainstream'' coalition was considering was whittling back Mitchell's benefit package and altering a 25 percent tax on ``high cost'' health plans.
Mitchell had threatened Monday to force the Senate into 24-hour sessions unless the Republicans stopped talking and started voting on the amendment.
Dodd's amendment would require insurers to provide preventive care to pregnant women and children by July 1995 with no co-payments. Twenty-one states already require such free preventive coverage. Mitchell's bill would have waited until 1997 to impose the requirement.
Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska was the sole Democrat to vote against the amendment; Sens. William Roth of Delaware and James Jeffords of Vermont were the only Republicans to vote for it.
Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who is sponsoring a bill without mandates, taxes or a basic benefits package, said: ``This is perceived to be progress by some. It has nothing to do with progress.''
To break the logjam and get a vote on Dodd's measure, Mitchell agreed to take up a Republican amendment next, starting this morning.
Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole said Republicans ``are not going to be rushed,'' but he also said they wouldn't ``start rainstorming amendments.''
Not every Republican agreed. Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas, a leading conservative foe of Mitchell's plan, said he would offer ``a hell of a lot of amendments.''
``Either we're going to beat this bill or I'm going to continue offering amendments to knock the bad parts out of it,'' said Gramm. ``There are a lot of bad parts.''
Mitchell took the floor after the vote to defend his proposal against what he called ``misrepresentations, distortions and some outright mistruths'' by Republican critics. He said his proposal would give Americans more choice of health plans, not less, and allow individuals to make decisions their employers now make.
by CNB