As late as 3 a.m. last Saturday (two hours before the bill passed), ex-Ronald Reagan speechwriter Rohrabacher was ready to break party lines and vote against the bill because it expands health care for illegals. The Republican leadership won his vote by promising to put in the catchall appropriations bill a provision requiring hospitals to report to border control the names of illegals that they treat. When that massive spending measure became public Tuesday, however, Rohrabacher found no such provision.
A footnote: Rep. Ernest Istook of Oklahoma, one of the most conservative House members, voted for the bill Saturday after casting a "present" vote on the less liberal bill adopted by the House in June. Istook accepted the Republican leadership's claim that a more liberal measure would be passed if this one failed.
LIFE FOR MEDICARE
The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) is moving toward making a congressional vote for the Medicare bill a plus on the organization's anti-abortion rating for members of Congress.
An "advisory" sent out by NRLC Tuesday said it has "received assurances" that the bill's final version protects senior citizens from government-imposed rationing of health care, which it considers "a dangerous form of involuntary euthanasia." NRLC said it is checking the complicated bill itself before deciding whether to score the bill on its tally card.
The possibility of such a rating angers conservatives who voted against the Medicare bill and do not want that to become a stain on their perfect anti-abortion record. It particularly concerns pro-life Rep. Pat Toomey, who is challenging pro-choice Sen. Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Republican primary.