Michael
Nov 13th 2008, 11:15 AM
Senator Max Baucus, chair of the all-powerful Senate Finance Committe, and not exactly known for his progressive views on any issue, has fired the first shot in the beginning of the process of creating legislation that may become the long awaited universal healthcare program for America.
WASHINGTON — Without waiting for President-elect Barack Obama, Senator Max Baucus, the chairman of the Finance Committee, will unveil a detailed blueprint on Wednesday to guarantee health insurance for all Americans by facilitating sales of private insurance, expanding Medicaid and Medicare, and requiring most employers to provide or pay for health benefits.
Source (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/washington/12health.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin)
For all intents and purposes, the 'plan' that Senator Baucus has introduced here is pretty much a clone of the plans that both John Edwards and Hillary Clinton put forward during the Democratic Primary.
It will be interesting to see how this one plays out - it is already off to a better start than the original Clinton initiative in 1993 which was attacked in Congress from day one by the Democrats themselves (who got their knickers in a knot over the fact that the legislation was initiated by the White House itself rather than by one of the Congressional grand poobahs).
WASHINGTON — Without waiting for President-elect Barack Obama, Senator Max Baucus, the chairman of the Finance Committee, will unveil a detailed blueprint on Wednesday to guarantee health insurance for all Americans by facilitating sales of private insurance, expanding Medicaid and Medicare, and requiring most employers to provide or pay for health benefits.
Source (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/washington/12health.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin)
For all intents and purposes, the 'plan' that Senator Baucus has introduced here is pretty much a clone of the plans that both John Edwards and Hillary Clinton put forward during the Democratic Primary.
It will be interesting to see how this one plays out - it is already off to a better start than the original Clinton initiative in 1993 which was attacked in Congress from day one by the Democrats themselves (who got their knickers in a knot over the fact that the legislation was initiated by the White House itself rather than by one of the Congressional grand poobahs).