[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 7169-7170]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETPLACE MODERNIZATION AND AFFORDABILITY ACT OF 
                        2006--MOTION TO PROCEED


                             Cloture Motion

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 417, S. 
1955, the Small Business Health Plan bill, and I send a cloture motion 
to the desk.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The cloture motion having been 
presented under rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the 
motion.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

                             Cloture Motion

       We the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the 
     provisions of rule XXII of the standing rules of the Senate, 
     do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the motion to 
     proceed to Calendar No. 417, S. 1955, Health Insurance 
     Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act of 2005.
         Bill Frist, Johnny Isakson, Sam Brownback, John Thune, 
           Thad Cochran, Wayne Allard, John Ensign, Richard 
           Shelby, Larry Craig, Ted Stevens, John McCain, Lamar 
           Alexander, Norm Coleman, Judd Gregg, Pat Roberts, Craig 
           Thomas, Richard Burr.

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I withdraw the motion to proceed.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that on Monday, May 8, the 
time for debate be divided as follows: 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m, minority 
control; and 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., majority control. Further, that the 
time rotate under this format, with the final time from 5 p.m. to 5:15 
p.m. under majority control. Finally, I ask unanimous consent that the 
three live quorums related to the cloture motions be waived.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, to summarize what we just went through and 
where we are, we have scheduled for next week the consideration of 
several important bills related to health care. Given the objection to 
the motion to proceed to these bills, it was necessary to file cloture 
motions on the motions to proceed; thus, we now have scheduled up to 
two cloture motions on Monday at 5:15, beginning at 5:15. The first 
will be on a motion to proceed to the Medical Care Access Protection 
Act, and the second vote will be on the cloture motion relative to the 
motion to proceed to the Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies Access to 
Care Act. If those cloture motions fail, on Tuesday morning we will 
have a cloture vote on proceeding to the Small Business Health Plans 
legislation.
  Mr. President, the way this is configured is that we have a vote on 
the first medical liability bill, which is a comprehensive bill built 
pretty much on this Texas model that I referred to in my earlier 
remarks. If that is successful, we will continue the debate on that. If 
it is not, we would continue with another medical liability bill that 
has a slightly different focus to it, again based on the Texas model. 
It will focus on in particular where medical liability premiums are 
felt most acutely: in women's health care and babies' health care, 
pediatrics and maternal health care, and that is obstetricians and 
gynecologists. I hope we will be allowed to proceed and debate on those 
two. We will be voting on both of those, or at least one of those but 
up to two on Monday night, with no votes after those two votes on 
Monday night.
  Depending on the outcome but following whatever that outcome is, we 
will turn to the small business health reform plans. The small business 
health plans, as we know, have the potential for addressing many of the 
issues I talked to earlier--the cost issue, the access issue, and the 
quality issue as well--because what they do is allow small businesses--
and most businesses in this country are small businesses; they create 
about three-quarters of the jobs in this country--they allow small 
businesses to group together so that they will have that purchasing 
clout which we know comes with numbers. When we add that purchasing 
clout, you can go and bargain for better prices, negotiate for better 
prices, and with that comes a lower cost of health care to all people 
who work in small businesses that participate. With that, people who 
don't have

[[Page 7170]]

health care today who work for small businesses will be able to get a 
plan that is within reach, instead of the hugely expensive plans that 
are out there today.
  So I am very excited about addressing the skyrocketing costs of 
health care head-on: choice, consumerism, patient-centered health care, 
all of which will be centered on the medical liability issue we will be 
debating and the small business health plans.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the 
quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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