A Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) report issued on December 11 warned "that costs will keep going up" under the Senate healthcare bill and that proposed Medicare savings "could lead to cuts in services". The report did say that the bill "would provide coverage to 93 percent of US residents, reducing the number of uninsured people by about 33 million".
A proposal to expand Medicare coverage for certain individuals beginning at age 55, originally seen as a favorable compromise provision, is threatened to be opposed by Senator Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT), whose vote is needed to gain the 60 votes required to avoid a filibuster.
Another proposal to allow consumers to buy Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs from other countries threatens to incur the opposition of the drug industry, which had previously worked out a deal with the White House to support healthcare reform. Any or all of these issues could push passage of a Senate bill beyond the Christmas deadline hoped for by the White House.
