This vote was on whether to allow to go forward an amendment by Ben Cardin, D-Md., that would have expedited a provision in the 2010 health care overhaul law allowing dependents to be covered on health care plans up to age 26.  Cardin’s amendment would have made this provision effective immediately for federal employees.  The amendment was offered to a bill that would extend several expired tax provisions, unemployment insurance benefits, Medicaid assistance to states, Medicaid doctor payment increases and other items.
 
After Cardin offered his amendment, Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, tried to defeat it with a parliamentary maneuver, saying it violated the Senate’s budget rules.  Cardin then asked that the rules be waived in this case, which is what this vote was on.

Cardin said private companies are providing this expedited option for their employees and that he sees no reason why the federal government shouldn’t make the same option available.

“This has negligible costs. In fact, it will save some money in that children who reach the age of 22 between now and the end of the year will be required to disenroll and then reenroll again after January 1, which makes no sense whatsoever,’ Cardin said.  “The Office of Personnel Management wants to implement this plan now. They have the capacity to do it, but they need the legal authority to do it.  For the sake of our 8 million active Federal workers, retirees, and their families, it makes sense for us in an orderly way to allow their children up to age 26 to be part of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan now rather than have to wait until January 1.”

No one spoke against the amendment.

By a vote of 57-42, the Senate voted not to waive the rules.  Though more voted yes than no, this particular type of vote required 60 in order to be considered approved.  All but one Democrat present voted to waive the rules.  Every Republican present voted against waiving the rules.  The end result is that the rules were not waived, and an amendment that would have allowed federal employees’ health benefits to immediately be extended to dependents under the age of 26 was defeated.