Senate Dems block House’s ‘keep your plan’ bill

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) blocked Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) from passing a bill to allow people to keep their insurance plans under ObamaCare even if the coverage doesn’t meet all of its requirements.

Vitter asked for unanimous consent to pass H.R. 3522, which the House passed last week in a 247-167 vote. Murphy objected, saying it would allow insurance companies to discriminate against women and people with preexisting conditions.

{mosads}Vitter said the bill would fulfill President Obama’s campaign promise, that “if you like your plan, you can keep it.”

“The bill is limited, focused and straight forward,” Vitter said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “It would not repeal ObamaCare. It would fix that part of ObamaCare.”

House Republicans pushed the legislation, which had already received a vote this year, ahead of the midterm elections. The lead sponsor, Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), is campaigning to unseat Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) in a closely watched race that could decide which party controls the Senate in 2015.