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No bills pass in U.S. Senate's "health week" Thu May 11, 2006 7:15 PM ET By Joanne Kenen WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday killed a small business health insurance bill, concluding what Republican leaders dubbed "health week" without passing any of their priority bills. Republicans were unable earlier in the week to pass bills limiting damage awards in medical malpractice lawsuits. On Thursday a small business bill sponsored by Wyoming Republican Mike Enzi died on a procedural vote. Republicans did not even attempt to bring up another item on their health policy agenda, expansion of tax-free Health Savings Accounts. Enzi's bill, which they had hoped would be the crown jewel of health week, would have allowed small businesses to band together across state lines to bargain for better health insurance rates. Democrats objected because it exempted the small business plans from many state-mandated health benefits. The mostly party-line vote was 55-43, so Republicans fell five votes short of the 60 they needed to cut off debate and move toward a vote on Enzi's legislation. Nevada Republican John Ensign, a party spokesman on health, blamed Democrats for obstructing the majority agenda to score political points but said the week was nevertheless a success because Republicans were able to signal to constituents that they heard their concerns. "I had a bunch of folks in talking about it today-- associated building contractors, restaurant association folks, doctors groups. They were very excited that we were really focusing on it," said Ensign. Many of the 46 million uninsured Americans work in small businesses. Democrats too had an unfulfilled to-do list for the week. The way the Senate's procedural battles played out, the Democratic minority was unable to force votes on federally funded stem cell research, extending next Monday's Medicare drug benefit sign-up deadline, or their own alternative small business health bill. Arkansas Democrat Blanche Lincoln blamed Republicans for drawing "lines in the sand" instead of working on bipartisan compromises. "We have missed an opportunity," she said. Enzi's small business bill had strong support from the Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, Realtors and other business groups. All wanted to be able to join larger insurance purchasing pools that would have let them negotiate better prices. But Democrats said Enzi's idea would do more harm than good. The small business insurance plans would be exempt from state mandated benefits ranging from mammograms to diabetes care. They would also be exempt from many state rules that limit price differentials between younger, healthier people and older, sicker ones. © Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn