SOME GOOD FRIDAY NEWS!

As we stumble toward real health care reform, this comes as very good news.

Dems win approval of health bill in committee
Jul 31 09:17 PM US/Eastern
By DAVID ESPO and ERICA WERNER
Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) - In a triumph for President Barack Obama, Democrats narrowly pushed sweeping health care legislation through a key congressional committee Friday night and cleared the way for a September showdown in the House.

The 31-28 vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, largely along party lines, was weeks later than either the White House or Democratic leaders had hoped.

...the committee agreed to cap increases in the cost of insurance sold under the bill, and also to give the federal government authority to negotiate directly with drug companies for lower prices under Medicare.

Democrats also turned back a Republican bid to strip out a provision allowing the government to sell insurance in competition with private industry. The vote was 31-28, reflecting the shaky majority Democrats had on a 59 committee they nominally controlled with 36 members.