This vote was on a motion to send a bill that would overhaul the health care system back to the Finance Committee for a rewrite (known as “motion to recommit”). Mike Johanns, R-Neb., wanted the committee to restore $42.1 billion in cuts the bill would make to payments to home health agencies. The reductions are intended to trim wasteful spending and repurpose it for new health care initiatives, such as creating a public health insurance option.

“Home health care and hospice frequently work with people in some of the most difficult times in their lives, when they are facing those difficult, often final, illnesses and they want to do it at home. They don’t want to be in the hospital. They want to be at home with family and friends around comfortable surroundings. In this underlying base bill, home health care is cut $42 billion from the people who need it the most and from agencies that need it the most and are in dire straits,” said Sam Brownback, R-Kan.

Max Baucus, D-Mont., responded that “clearly, we all care about home health care. I mean, let’s obviously agree that we all do,” but added that where there is waste in spending, it should be cut.

“One of my principles is stopping a lot of the fraud and to see if there is a way to cut excessive spending because sometimes there is excessive spending around here, and that is what we have done in the home health industry,” Baucus said. “I could go into more detail, but I want my colleagues to know there is real, solid, sound reason for these changes in the home health provisions, and it is my judgment this will not hurt home health care for patients.”

By a vote of 41-53, the motion was rejected. Every Republican present voted for the motion. All but four Democrats present voted against the motion. The end result is that the motion to restore cuts to home health care in the heath care overhaul bill was defeated.