Quick hits (health care version)...

Attorneys General in South Carolina and Florida Set to Sue on Health Care Reform

South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster says he and Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum are ready to file a federal lawsuit if health care reform legislation passes.


The U.S. House plans to vote on the plan Sunday.

McMaster said Friday that he expects attorneys general to join the lawsuit. He and other GOP counterparts have denounced the legislation.

Democratic Rep. DeFazio Switches Vote to 'No' on Health Care Bill 

Democratic Rep. John Boccieri of Ohio is switching his vote to "yes" on President Obama's health care overhaul, bringing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just one vote shy of the 216 needed for passage .
The vote tally on health care reform is starting to look like the Dow.


Just when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seemed to be one vote shy of the number needed for health care reform to pass, a Democrat who voted for the bill last year says he's switching his vote to no.

The opposition from Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., dials back the number of House members leaning toward voting yes to 214, and the number leaning toward voting no to 217.

Pelosi needs 216 for the bill to pass.

Democrats Gain Support as They Move on Health Vote 

March 19 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. House Democrats, who cleared a big hurdle in their effort to overhaul the health-care system by producing compromise legislation, are picking up fresh support for a showdown vote this weekend.


Democrats need about six more votes from House members to pass the 10-year, $940 billion bill, Obama administration officials said today. President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders aim to sway some in a pool of 14 or 15 undecided lawmakers to get to the 216 votes needed to pass the measure, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“We are going to have the votes, when the roll is called,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters today. A vote is scheduled for March 21, leaders said.

Caterpillar: Health care bill would cost it $100M

Dow Jones Newswires Caterpillar Inc. said the health-care overhaul legislation being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives would increase the company's health-care costs by more than $100 million in the first year alone.

In a letter Thursday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio, Caterpillar urged lawmakers to vote against the plan "because of the substantial cost burdens it would place on our shareholders, employees and retirees."

Caterpillar, the world's largest construction machinery manufacturer by sales, said it's particularly opposed to provisions in the bill that would expand Medicare taxes and mandate insurance coverage. The legislation would require nearly all companies to provide health insurance for their employees or face large fines.

The Peoria-based company said these provisions would increase its insurance costs by at least 20 percent, or more than $100 million, just in the first year of the health-care overhaul program.

"We can ill-afford cost increases that place us at a disadvantage versus our global competitors," said the letter signed by Gregory Folley, vice president and chief human resources officer of Caterpillar. "We are disappointed that efforts at reform have not addressed the cost concerns we've raised throughout the year."