From The Hill, “Harkin: Public option backers eyeing second reconciliation bill“:

Public option supporters could offer a second reconciliation bill to establish the program, a top Democrat said Wednesday.

Supporters of creating a government-run public option health insurance program are considering moving the proposal after healthcare reform is finished via another budget reconciliation bill that would require just a simple majority to pass, said Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa).

Yikes. Next you know, they’ll try to turn the health care bill into a vehicle for nationalizing the student loan program.

(Hat tip: Ivan Osorio)

From Heritage Foundation’s The Foundry blog, “Congress vs. The American People“:

Even Higher Deficits: According to the Congressional Budget Office, new entitlement spending in the reconciliation bill would cost $216 billion in 2019 alone and will increase by 8% every year after that. Now, the Democrats will tell you that the CBO has also said their plan raises enough taxes and cuts enough Medicare to pay for this gigantic new entitlement. But the CBO is obligated by law to believe whatever Congress tells them. The American people are not. According to the latest NBC/WSJ poll, 76% of the American people do not trust Congress. That is why, according to the latest CNN poll, 70% of the American people believe Obamacare will cause the federal budget deficit to go up.

Even Higher Taxes on Business: As bad as the employer mandates in the Senate health bill were, the taxes on businesses in the reconciliation bill are even worse. Companies that hire certain low-income Americans will have to pay $3,000 per employee, per year, even if the company offers insurance. And companies that employ 50 or more workers will face higher tax penalties to the tune of $2,000 per full-time employee.

New Taxes on Investments: Investment is what creates job growth. One would think at a time of 9.7% unemployment, the government would not want to increase taxes on investment. Not this leftist government. The reconciliation bill slaps a 3.8% tax on investment income.

In introducing President Obama at the bill signing ceremony, Vice President Joe Biden just quoted Virgil and declared, “The greatest wealth is health….America is wealthier today.” OK. But maybe not as wealthy as tomorrow.

UPDATE (11:43 p.m.): The Greek poet Virgil, that is. He also said in the Aeneid, “Whatever it is, I fear Greeks even when they bring gifts.”

The only good thing about passage of health care legislation is that it will allow the nation to move on to more unifying issues like immigration.

President Obama signs the Senate bill at a White House ceremony today at 11:15 a.m., Politico reports. He will then relocate to the Department of Interior for more expansive comments on the legislation. Insurance companies are anxiously waiting to see if he will restore their citizenship.

Once the bill is signed into law, the Senate will be able to debate H.R.4872, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, with an actual law being reconciliated. The Senate convenes at 2:15 p.m.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports, “Employers brace for health reform changes“:

Companies and their lobbyists said a host of new rules and regulations are likely to increase taxes and health insurance premiums while hampering job growth for manufacturers, retailers and other large businesses.

“This legislation will make it more difficult to offer benefits not just for retirees but also current workers as companies have to weigh these costs,” said Dena Battle, the National Association of Manufacturers’ tax policy director.

It’s not just employers who will have a terrible time bearing these additional costs. The United States, its citizens, taxpayers and the federal government better get ready for rising costs that crowd out other national priorities. As Michael Gerson writes in today’s Washington Post, “Obama shows a president can be both strong and wrong“:

If this health-care reform had passed in, say, 1994, it might have been just another burden borne by a growing economy, and later refined as the predictable, unintended consequences of the law became evident — an economic drag but not a disaster.

Yet if the American government is headed toward a general entitlement crisis, Obama’s health reform will be seen as historically irresponsible. He is adding a massive entitlement on top of a structure of entitlements that is already precarious. The costs of this new commitment are projected to grow at about 8 percent a year — faster than the economy or tax revenue. And this entitlement is substantially funded by the easiest cuts in current entitlements — money that cannot be used to honor existing, unfunded entitlement promises.

Citizens, right, not subjects? The American Legislative Exchange Council drafted model legislation that has proved popular around the country, the Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act. From a March 22 news release, “Texas Is 39th State to Defend Health Care Choice“:

Washington, D.C.—The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the nation’s largest individual membership association of state legislators, today congratulates Texas Representative Bryan Hughes for announcing his intention to file legislation to protect Texans from a federal requirement to purchase health insurance. Texas now becomes the 39th state where legislators have introduced, or will introduce, legislation modeled after ALEC’s Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act.

“The bill that passed last night is a radical departure from the role of government our founders put in the Constitution,” said Hughes. “There is no question that it will lead to increased taxes, fewer health care options, and more government control of our most basic personal decisions. For these reasons and so many others, I will file legislation protecting Texans from the federal bill as soon as we are back in session.”

Attorneys general are also active. From Greta van Susteran’s show, a transcript of her interviews with AG Ken Kuccinelli of Virginia and AG Henry McMaster of South Carolina, “Legal Challenges Await Health Care Bill.”

Bloomberg notes the NAM and Chamber of Commerce’s opposition in the article, “Business Groups Press Lawmakers to Oppose Health-Care Measure, as well as:

“The measure would drive up labor costs to the point of forcing job losses,” the National Retail Federation said in its letter. “A ‘transparent procedural ploy’ for passing the package would harm Congress’s reputation.”

Caterpillar Inc., the world’s largest maker of construction equipment, in a letter said the measure would raise its cost by $100 million in the first year.

“We can ill afford cost increases that place us at a disadvantage versus global competitors,” wrote Gregory S. Folley, vice president and chief human resources officer at Peoria, Illinois-based Caterpillar, in the March 18 letter.

More …

• Dow-Jones, “UPDATE: Groups Make Final Push To Influence Health Bill Vote“
• MarketWatch, “Pros, cons take last shot at health-care bill“

We previously posted the NAM’s key vote letter in opposition.

And, in case the thought crossed your mind, no, House leadership did not find a way to use the reconciliation process to sneak tort reform into the health care bill. Total dollars spent on medical liability reforms? Zero.

We are disappointed with the President’s approach to health-care reform he laid out today, both on process and substance. While the President included a few ideas intended to reduce costs (allowing medical providers to participate in fraud/abuse investigations) and to improve access (allowing health care plans with health savings accounts to be included in health exchanges), the proposal builds on a flawed foundation that increases costs for manufacturers. It does not address our key concern — long-term health care cost savings.

Further, the President’s comment on an “up and down” vote indicates that health care reform will not be completed in a bipartisan fashion — an approach the NAM has endorsed and recommended since the beginning of this effort. Manufacturers want health-care reform that includes the best ideas from both Democrats and Republicans. We believe health-care reform should protect what currently works in the health system, focus on long-term and sustainable reduction in health-care costs, and achieve more affordable health options.

Jeri Kubicki is NAM’s vice president for human resources policy.