Senate Democrats’ health care bill would create a new marriage penalty by imposing a tax on individuals who make $200,000 annually but hitting married couples making just $50,000 more.

That’s one of 17 new taxes imposed by the bill, which also creates a levy on elective plastic surgery – some call it “botax” – and places a 40 percent excise tax on those who have generous health care plans.

“If you have insurance, you get taxed. If you don’t have insurance, you get taxed. If you need a life-saving medical device, you get taxed. If you need prescription medicines, you get taxed,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, who is leading the fight against the bill.

read the rest here… Senate health care bill creates new marriage penalty – Washington Times.

And the way in which they are trying to secure votes apparently, there’s a good article today says, what does it take to get a wavering senator to vote for healthcare reform? Here’s a case study. On Page 432 of the read bill, there’s a section increasing federal Medicaid subsidies for, quote, certain states recovering from a major disaster, unquote. This section spends two pages defining which states would qualify saying, among other things, that it would be states that during the preceding seven fiscal years have been declared a major disaster area. Now, there is exactly one indicate that fits that description, and it’s Louisiana, surprising ‑‑ surprisingly enough it is Louisiana, the home of moderate Democrat Mary Landrieu who has been playing hard to get on the healthcare bill, and she’s undecided on it. So this bill calls for $100 million to her state. They’re trying to buy her off. They’re trying to ‑‑ with this bizarre, “No, we’re just doing ‑‑ no, no, this is for any state that during the preceding seven fiscal years has been declared a major disaster area. That could be any state. If Idaho had that happen, they would get the $100 million as well. ” There’s one state that fits it. This is an effort to buy off Mary Landrieu. Harry Reid who drafted it can’t pass it without the support of Senator Mary Landrieu.

read the rest here… Glenn Beck – Current Events & Politics – Healthcare bills passing in the night….

TWS: Madam Speaker, do you support the measure to put the final House bill online for 72 hours before its voted on at the very end?

PELOSI: Absolutely. Without question.

read the rest here… The Weekly Standard.