User:Cwikib/Nebraska Compromise

Nebraska Compromise is the name coined for a deal made by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to Nebraska’s Democratic Senator Ben Nelson, the last Democratic hold-out, allegedly in order to secure his vote for a Senate bill entitled the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (H.R. 3590) sometimes referred to as “Obama’s Health Care Reform” and provide the Democrats with the required 60-votes needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. The compromise provides Nebraska with 100 percent federal funding of the Medicaid expansion indefinitely into the future. . One Democrat estimates the Nebraska Compromise will cost the Federal Government $45 million for the first decade. Specific text relating to the Nebraska Compromise can be found on page 2129 of the bill.

It was reported that prior to the compromise Ben Nelson had threatened to filibuster with Republicans unless certain language relating to restrictions on federal funding of abortion was included in the Bill.

It should be noted that other states were offered similar concessions. Three months prior to the Nebraska Compromise Reid secured within the health care bill 100 percent funding for Medicaid in Nevada. Eventually a later version of the bill gave all states 100 percent funding for the first three years of the Medicaid expansion, with the exception of the above provision made for Nebraska. For all other states the costs would be about 15 cents on every $1 they receive from the federal government.