The American Spectator

The Spectacle Blog

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's scheme to divert $247 billion in costs of health care legislation to a separate bill has encountered resistance among five Senate Democrats who have said they want the new spending to be offset with spending cuts or tax increases, the Hill reports.

The key thing to keep in mind though is that Democrats could still pass a bill with a lower price tag that prevents scheduled cuts to Medicare doctors' payments for a year, and then revisit the issue a year from now. The problem with that approach, however, is they risk losing support of the American Medical Association.