September 16th, 2009 – After a year of work, Senator Max Baucus of Montana introduced a new 226 page proposal for Health Reform that meets many President Obama’s requirements.
The plan would cover 29 million uninsured Americans and would cost $856 billion according to their press release. Although not yet endorsed by any Republicans, it was a result of bi-partisan efforts and is much less expensive than the other plans, which cost over $1 trillion.
The White House said the Baucus plan was a positive step. “Last week, the president laid out his plan to bring stability and security to Americans who have insurance, and high-quality, affordable coverage for those who don’t,” said Dan Pfeiffer, a White House spokesman. “The Senate Finance Committee mark released by Chairman Baucus is another boost of momentum for the president’s effort to reform the health system.”
Senator Baucus’ plan would cover less people, but it would have the same insurance mandates to cover people with pre-existing conditions and a requirement that all Americans have health insurance. The Bacus plan would also use state run insurance exchanges and calls for the creation of private non-profit insurance coops to compete with private insurers. His plan would also offer subsidies to individuals and families with modest incomes to help them buy insurance.
