Joe Says “No”: Lieberman won’t vote for healthcare bill that expands Medicare

While Harry Reid has been touting replacing the public option with an expansion of Medicare (lowering the eligible age to 55), many see it as yet another attempt to take a step towards a single payer system.  Far from a true compromise.

Joe Lieberman’s comments on the proposed ‘compromise’:

“Though I don’t know exactly what’s in it, from what I hear, I certainly would have a hard time voting for it because it has some of the same infirmities that the public option did.

“It will add taxpayer costs. It will add to the deficit. It’s unnecessary,” he added of a provision that Reid last week hailed as part of a breakthrough between liberals and moderates.

…

Lieberman pleaded with Democrats to start subtracting expensive proposals from the overhaul, saying, “We don’t need to keep adding onto the back of this horse or we’re going to break the horse’s back and get nothing done.”

Lieberman joins Democrat Claire McCaskill in publicly stating on Sunday an opposition to the current proposal.  Both have indicated that they will not vote for a bill that increases costs, which the Medicare expansion will do.