Baucus Trims Health Care Bill Down To $1 Trillion

Senator Max Baucus, one of the key players in crafting health care reform, broke some big news on Thursday, when he announced that the Senate Finance Committee he chairs could get a bill done for under $1 trillion.

"We are much closer on the scores for a health care reform package than were at this point last week," he said, according to remarks passed along by his staff. "We have options the Congressional Budget Office tells us would cost under $1 trillion and be fully paid for. Based on these developments, I'm even more confident in our ability to move forward. And as I've said before, we will not put out a mark until we are sure we have it right. I'll continue to work with Senator [Chuck] Grassley and members on both sides of aisle to turn these options into a package that can pass the Senate and become law this year."

The details of the Montana Democrat's cuts and proposals have yet to be fully fleshed out, though they likely involve drops in the percentage to which the bill would expand coverage and additional tax increases. An aide on the Finance Committee said that members would be working through the details during the afternoon.

Either way, in the context of congressional politics the pronouncement of a trillion dollar bill is big news. The Finance Committee's initial proposal had come in at a cost of $1.6 trillion, a number that was met with heavy criticism from Republicans in the senate. Even the Obama White House had to backtrack from the prospective bill, saying it was stage one in an ongoing legislative process.

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Comments

[LinkSync]

Bacus is a mini PIG and owned by the Health Care industry.

WE need SINGLE PAYER not more B.S.

Whatever we do we need to make our Governemnt negotiate drug prices (perhaps thru NIH) and set them nationwide in the same way Canada does.
The PHARM lobby is spending money hand over fist to prevent this from being debated.
They are supporting importation from other countrys instead.
Why? because they know the amount of folks that actually do it will be negligable as they can regulate for safety and so on so that it wont be workable on the whole and their profits will be protected.

People please do nopt be fooled by the lying PIGS again.
they are always PHARMING us.

Fight for SINGLE PAYER and GOVERNMENT NEGOTIATED DRUG PRICES!

[mrh3]

Stop wasting our time. When the house finishes their bill just pass it.

[SeattleWill]

Yeah, what's a few more trillion dollars of debt? Who cares what what the bill actually does. No one ever reads those things, certainly not Barry Obama. Borrow and spend, borrow and spend. The taxing will come later.

[TheReasonableMan]

Will - I'd come up with some rational arguments, rather than knee-jerk Luntz talking points, if you want to change people's minds. And by the way, I'd appreciate it if you showed your patriotism by not belittling our president in a time of war. (And the response "he's not my president" ain't going to win any hearts and minds on this website either.)

[mat3]

A trillion dollars for 50 million people for 10 years. What do you get, an aspirin, a band aid, and a google map to the nearest emergency room.

[jmpurser]

I haven't seen a public option style plan yet that is intended to cover that extra 50 million. The last I saw only covered 16 million and was going to cost 1.6 Trillion. I seriously doubt Baucus dropped the price .6 trillion by covering an additional 34 million people.

[marxmarv]

That's about $3200 per person. Which is about what other countries are paying for their single payer initiatives. How come no one's looking at how much money is paid into health insurance?

[marxmarv]

Whoa, my bad, $3200 per person per year.

[pfrogger]

the average for private insurance is about 12000 per family of four per year. http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml
so 3200 per person per year doesn't seem like that great a savings, right?
well it seems that standard protocols for insurance companies are to dump you when you get a serious illness so they don't have to pay. (Health insurers refuse to limit rescission of coverage - http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-rescind17-2009jun17,0,3508020,full.story)
"An investigation by the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations showed that health insurers WellPoint Inc., UnitedHealth Group and Assurant Inc. canceled the coverage of more than 20,000 people, allowing the companies to avoid paying more than $300 million in medical claims over a five-year period.
It also found that policyholders with breast cancer, lymphoma and more than 1,000 other conditions were targeted for rescission and that employees were praised in performance reviews for terminating the policies of customers with expensive illnesses.­"

and it's perfectly legal for them to do so. so those premiums they're paying don't mean shite to the insurance companies.

[bobm0001]

Congress spends trillions of dollars making American corporations healthy, but won't spend $1.6 trillion making America's citizens healthy. Too bad we don't have high-paid lobbyists speaking on our behalf.

[SeattleWill]

Where exactly do you think the "government" gets it money? From us. There is no free money.

[silk olive]

did anyone see the president's town hall meeting last night? easily 90% of the pre-selected questions came from americans who were worried and hesitant about a public option. it was laughable, blatantly ignoring the fact that over 70% of all Americans fully embrace the idea of a public plan..if the minority naysayers out there who are screaming "socialism! keep government out!" had an inkling of the way the CEOs of their health insurance providers lived off of their premiums, they would cease cheerleading over the current system. Corporate insurance cos are more closely watching their stock numbers on Wall Street to determine if they've denied enough claims this quarter, rather than feeling held accountable for our health. so what happens next, once we are presented with a half-assed healthcare plan that all republicans and most democrats have sufficiently gutted?

[masanf]

For crying out loud, when are you people going to quit citing those bogus polls that claim such huge amounts of people support the public plan? One poll had a sample consisting of 66% Obama voters and the other had a sample of only 25% McCain voters. Furthermore, you people just seem to ignore polls that contradict your beliefs. For instance, when told that a public option can (and almost certainly will) drive some private insurers out of business, a Washington Post poll found that support for a public plan dropped to 37%. A Kaiser Foundation poll found that if people were told a public plan would be a first step to single payer the support went to 41%. When told a government plan could have an unfair advantage over a private plan (which it inevitably will) support drops to 32%. Obama has openly admitted that a public plan will make it hard for private companies to compete. When people are told this, less than one-third of them support a public plan.
So please quit peddling the nonsense that the support for a public plan is overwhelming. When people are told the costs and consequences of a public plan, the support plummets to well below a majority.

[marxmarv]

Which polls are you talking about? Cite or GTFO.

WaPo happens to be the Capitol's daily newspaper. It also takes a known rightward tack on most issues. Push polling isn't about the numbers, it's about the FUD.

Kaiser has skin in the game.

[Tommygun264]

There have been three separate polls since last Friday - one conducted by a think tank funded by the insurance industry - and all three came up within a 2 point margin of one another with between 70% and 72% of all Americans surveyed wanting a public option. The lowest margin of pubs who want a public option were 51% (hint: that's what we call a "majority"). But don't let the facts get in your way, sparky.

[pfrogger]

dude, you gotta chill out.
it sounds like you're having a heart attack.
don't worry. everything will be OK. one day Repubs will be back in power. and rich people can still abuse the power, pollute the planet, and poison our children. rich people are doing alright. so calm down.

[SeattleWill]

It was especially interesting because ABC loves Obama and picked people who are friendly to his policies. I don't know where you got your "70% of Americans fully embrace the idea of a public plan" number, but most people long ago figured out they do not want to trust their health to some government committee.

[montanawatcher]

In an interview with a Montana reporter, Baucus said a public option was on the table, but got upset when asked about his campaign contributions from the health care industry. Full interview here: www.mtlowdown.com

[jmpurser]

I'd like to see a full CBO report on Single Payer before we blow a trillion dollars on fake health care reform.

[levee]

it is naive to talk about the "cost" of improved healthcare without weighing it against the costs of our broken system. Few know what a trillion dollars really means. I'd gladly pay 2 trillion than let a system that costs 3 trillion continue. we pay and we pay, yet millions are uninsured? fix the system and it costs less for everybody? duh.

[jmpurser]

I agree we desperately need to fix the system. Which is why I want single payer instead of some magical, formless, unwritten, Rube Goldberg scheme called "public option".

[masanf]

You would gladly pay? You mean you would gladly allow those in higher income tax brackets to pay confiscatory taxes so that you could enjoy the fruits of their labor.

[Coinyer101]

GO AWAY BAUKUS! Noone wants yer stoopid reform, anymore! It's bs!

[timberdoodle]

What a country. Everyone can get as many guns as they want but only about half can get the needed health care either because they don't have coverage or because they are being denied coverage.

The country can spend trillions trying to run foreign countries and killing innocent men, women and children but can't spend money on a free universal health care system for it's citizens.

[Tex1969]

Yep!!! Truly despicable!!

[masanf]

Wow, nice nonsequitor about guns. Irrelevant much? And exactly how is a system which requires massive tax increase to pay for it free?

[marxmarv]

The only reason anyone is entitled to anything is because of a rough but fraying consensus on who gets to point the guns.

[breakingpoint]

1st Let's start by cutting ALL Tax Payer Healthy Care for Congress.

Then let's pull the Heath Care Industry Lobby off the Hill . - Six guys for each Rep.

Then watch how fast these guy beg for Single Payer
http://jischinger.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/the-health-care-cartel

[jmpurser]

Your congressman is rich. He won't care.

[breakingpoint]

wrong answer

Most politicians they are simple minded people, money and influence is what they are after.

[Blufftonian]

Heh, we'll just raise taxes on those making over . . . say . . . $200,000. No wait . . . better make that $100,000. Still won't pay for it? Okay, let's raise taxes on anyone making over $50,000. That ought to do it.

[Ravenback47]

Just start with the people over $200,000. I'm tired of this Rethug nonsense.

[masanf]

It is absolutely amazing how people on this site think that getting rid of those tax cuts will even make a dent in a plan that cost trillions. And it is hilarious to read posts by people who feel that they are entitled to someone else's paycheck, and if you object, you are a greedy thug.

[silk olive]

Rolling back Bush's tax cuts for the rich should make a decent dent.

[SeattleWill]

Spoken like a true socialist.

[Max Wood]

Actually that would be fine with me....rais­e taxes on anyone that makes over 30K a year and outlaw for profit insurance. We pay far more right now for our "health insurance plans" than we would in taxes for universal care that INCLUDED EVERYONE and DIDNT DENY ANYONE!

[clintmcfarlin]

Baucus' folks don't like people asking him any questions that might make him look like he's ignoring the select few of us who aren't thrilled with our current healthcare system. Apparently all of his buddies are set up just fine. Anyhow, I ran across this interview by a reporter for the Great Falls Tribune in his home state of Montana who tried to get some answers. Check out the recorded interview at www.mtlowdown.com

[HC4BO]

So long as there is a robust Public Option to offer competition to those jack hammer private insurance scammers, i really do NOT care for the price tag ...

[masanf]

Yeah, nobody that supports this administration does care about the price tag. Evidently bankrupting the country and sending it down the road to fiscal insolvency is a small price to pay if it means the Democrats can buy a few more votes.

P.S. The public plan isn't going to pass.

[eirrac]

This health care plan will be deficit-neutral. It's been explained over and over again and they still think it's going to drive the deficit way up. What part of that doesn't the GOP understand? Guess you can't fix stupid.

Meaningful health care reform is badly needed. Anyone who lives in the real world and sees friends and neighbors unable to get the care they need can understand how much we need a public option. Those who continue to make up stories about the high cost and the deficit haven't done their homework. I don't understand how they can watch good, hardworking people who have no insurance (or whose insurance company refuses to help them) suffer like this. It's cruel and selfish.

[brschwar]

One question..­.

What would be the cost of not doing anything be? I keep hearing that health care costs are skyrocketing and that health care currently "costs more than 17 percent of the U.S. economy, or $2.4 Trillion". If the costs of status quo is higher than spending $1 Trillion over 10 years, we would have another good argument for health reform, negating the whole "it costs too much" argument.

BTW, for all those people who are throwing around buzz words to cloud the debate: "solidarity" does not equal "socialism". This thing about labeling people who are looking out for the good of all Americans as "commies" is pretty, well, wrong.

[Tex1969]

Use of the words socialism, communism etc.. is a fear tactic to deter people from supporting much needed legislation. It's total nonsense but the insurance industry, AMA and Pharma do
not want anything to change.

[timberdoodle]

The only way Americans are going to live in a country that uses their tax dollars to benefit their citizens is if they immigrate to one of 30+ countries that legislate on behalf of the population and not the corporation.

You can tag these countries with any name you want but you can go their and not worry about not being able to afford health care, not worry about being discriminated against, not worry about domestic violence to the degree everyone needs to be armed to the teeth as well as being free to travel to any country you choose without it being against the law.

[eirrac]

I've lived in France and in Canada. I was satisfied with my health care. Never experienced delays or heard the kind of horror stories the Republicants are slinging around.

We are the only major country in the world where average, working people have to worry about being able to pay the high cost of health care and whether they or a loved one will be able to be treated or not. It's shameful.

[SeattleWill]

Sorry due. I lived in England and waited for appointments and saw friends die because they could not get decent coverage in time. Rationing, delays and poor quality all provided free of charge by the National Health Service. Give me good old Blue Cross any day.

[ncmom54]

"could get a bill done for under $1 trillion"

uh... didn't hear language like that with the carte blanche Wars or Wall Street