Baucus changes health bill over Democrat concerns

[MaineDem]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee was revising his sweeping health care bill Monday to address serious concerns from fellow Democrats and a key Republican about insurance costs, part of his ongoing struggle to deliver on President Barack Obama's top domestic priority.

The changes came a day ahead of a committee session beginning Tuesday to amend and vote on the bill, which Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., hopes his panel will approve by the end of the week.

The 10-year, $856 billion package would extend coverage to about 29 million Americans who lack it now and institute insurance market reforms, such as prohibiting higher premiums for women or the denial of coverage to sick people. It would make almost everyone buy insurance or pay a fee, give subsidies to the poor to help them buy coverage and create new online exchanges where small businesses and people without government or employer-provided insurance could shop for plans and compare prices.

Release of the bill last week gave a boost to Obama's health care agenda after a summer of angry town hall meetings, though plenty of political and policy hurdles remain before Congress could send a bill to Obama's desk.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jlMpJGn28kqCcgU-aGcYE_ZHW-ywD9ARUU7G1

[bkkyosemite]

1. Baucus GO TO HELL!

[Hepburn]

16. Hell?

Isn't that too good for Baucus?

[Hawkeye-X]

2. Hey Yo, Baucus, your bill is DOA

not going to EVER leave the committee. It would require that your bill be amended heavily (i.e., stripped down to the bare essential, and add key robust public option on it).. If you want to save your ass, surprise us with a Senate companion to HR 676.

Thanks!

Hawkeye-X

[Aramchek]

3. no dice, Baucus. your bill is a piece of shit.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. DemocratIC Concerns

Democratic concerns. Silly AP headline writers.

And anyway, Buck Faucus.

[msongs]

5. actually this is probably correct.... a concern by a democrat is democrat concern.

the party is "democratic" members are democrats.

Msongs

[MannyGoldstein]

6. A Concern of a Democrat is a Democrat's Concern

Apostrophe s, I believe.

[bluestateguy]

7. Long ways to go. Long ways.

I could tolerate (albeit barely) an individual mandate if there was a good public option in the bill. This is still a shitty bill.

[Aragorn]

8. of course

if we get Medicare for all it will be an individual mandate. PO? OK with me ONLY if it is not-for-profit. IOW - if it's Medicarish.

It looks like enough Americans are educated enough and informed enough that we will not put up with an income-plan for insurance companies. I hope that's true and I don't believe enough of our elected officials believe it yet.

[brightertomorrow]

9. Scrap his bill and start over

and go for single payor. Or at the very least a strong public option that is available to all, if they wish to buy into it.
And no discrimination for age or gender.
That would be a good start.
This whole health care situation is enough to make people sick, worrying about their health care or lack of it in this country.
Time to get off their butts and actually do something.

[dhpgetsit]

10. To get my support the current bill need 2 more things:

1) An end to the exemptions health insurance companies enjoy from anti-trust legislation. (Of course the anti-trust legislation also has to be ENFORCED.)

2) A strong public option.

I will continue pressing for Single-Payer, but if we have to settle for something less to get something done this year, these criteria will be worth something.

[groundloop]

11. A strong public option that the public can get into...

Some have suggested that the public option be reserved for those who currently don't have coverage through an employer etc. That's BS, I won't be satisfied until I can tell United Healthcare to go to hell and by into the public option.

[dhpgetsit]

14. Yes. It's not an option unless it really IS an option.

Thank you.

[PJPhreak]

12. Online Exchange?? Lol!!!

"The 10-year, $856 billion package would extend coverage to about 29 million Americans who lack it now and institute insurance market reforms, such as prohibiting higher premiums for women or the denial of coverage to sick people. It would make almost everyone buy insurance or pay a fee, give subsidies to the poor to help them buy coverage and create new online exchanges where small businesses and people without government or employer-provided insurance could shop for plans and compare prices."

Ok,this is really gonna work where I live....There are 103 people who live in my little town (Virgil Ks.) and only two households have the Intertubes!!
One of which is mine! (So-So 3G)
We are ten miles off ANY main highway,(Kansas Rt.99)
We do not have cable,only so-so satellite,and please lets not talk about Cell Phone coverage...If I really need to make a clear,solid phone call I have to drive three miles to the top of the ridge to get a strong signal!!
Online exchange?
Hahahahahahahaha!
Hell most of these folks couldn't even begin to set up a E-Mail!!

Edit for spelling error

[Piewhacket]

13. Piewhacket Health Bill - The public option revisited.

emergency room insured to a minimum degree, govt paid but prices heavily regulated. anybody.

kids get full coverage medicare. the old, the young, the disabled get medicare. must have ssn.

adults get limited coverage with a moderate deductible (40%). tough but free. must have ssn.

adults or their employers may purchase supplemental coverage from private insurance

using the free coverage as a base. this would unburden businesses.
no one is required to buy the supplemental insurance.

regulation of the cost of health care. regulation of insurance profits and salaries.
regulatory reform of abuses by insurers. criminal sanctions.

simple enough even for a congressman to understand.
fair? who gives a ff about being fair about it, we're wayyyyy past that "discussion"?
cost? who gives a flying f*. we could have paid for all of it with the last
bailout. time to strip the abusive insurance companies naked - plenty of money there.
annex the Cayman Is! get it done.

[Q3JR4]

15. Seriously...can we forget about the republicans already?

If it only takes 51 votes to pass the legislation in the senate, please tell me why we're still trying to get the one republican vote...


Q3JR4.

[moondust]

17. WRONG WAY

By "changes" it means bigger subsidies handouts to the insurance companies out of the taxpayer's pocket. If it was unacceptable before it is even worse now.

[dpbrown]

18. Requiring people to buy bad insurance, and then subsidizing poor people, is classic "tax and spend"

Democrats in name only like Baucus will cost the Democrats Congress next election, since they are setting the Democrats up for the trap of being cast as the Republican tax and spend bogeyman.

Real reform means single-payer health care for all. It's cheaper, and it covers everyone. That will defeat the stereotype.

[and-justice-for-all]

19. FAIL...nt