Orszag Sees Health-care Law In Six Weeks, Praises Baucus Strategy
“The goal would be, yes, over the next six weeks or so, maybe sooner,” Orszag said in an interview yesterday as the finance panel run by Montana Democrat Max Baucus began the first of three days of meetings to revise the measure.
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Baucus to Growth Aid For Uninsured, May Trim Tax On Health Strategies
The Montana Democrat, whose proposed health-care plan drew fire last week from lawmakers of both parties, will expand subsidies for people trying to obtain coverage through an online exchange, said Senator Kent Conrad, a finance panel member. Hes also likely to cut back an excise tax on so-called Cadillac plans so fewer people would be [...]
Baucuss Health Policy May Shape Senate Bill Even After Attacks
After months of fruitless efforts to find a bipartisan compromise, Baucus yesterday released a proposal to cover tens of millions of uninsured Americans and curb costs. Republicans balked at the $856 billion price tag and Democrats were unhappy he left out a government-run program to compete with private insurers. Unions denounced a tax on high-end [...]
Baucus Makes Last Health-care Bid After Obamas Game Changer
While Baucus said President Barack Obamas Sept. 9 speech to Congress “breathed new life” into negotiations for a bipartisan compromise, the Montana Democrat vowed to present draft legislation with or without Republican votes, after struggling for months to reach a deal.
Failure [...]
Snowe Urges Obama Drop Public Tactic In Health-care Overhaul Tactic
Snowe, one of six negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee, said that to gain more Republican support, President Barack Obama should explicitly drop the idea of a federally backed insurance program to compete with private insurers such as Hartford, Connecticut-based Aetna Inc.
Obama [...]
Obama Targets Snowe For Bipartisan Backing On Health-care Strategy
Snowe, 62, is the Republican most likely to support Obamas proposed overhaul. After the speech, she said she would have “preferred” that the president reject a government-run plan to compete with private insurers. Still, she said she was heartened that Obama spoke favorably of one of her proposals, a so-called trigger that would activate a [...]
Obama Takes On Health Care At Critical Moment For Presidency
Obamas speech at 8 p.m. Washington time follows weeks of images of voters shouting at lawmakers about health care at town-hall meetings across the U.S. It also comes as public approval for his handling of the issue dropped to 42 percent in July from 51 percent in April, according to polls by the Pew Research [...]
Senate Finance Panel Will Move Health Bill Soon, Baucus Says
“I am committed to getting health-care reform done — done soon and done right,” Baucus, a Montana Democrat, said in a statement yesterday after a 90-minute conference call with five other senators from both political parties.
One Democratic aide said that Baucus, [...]
Obama to Begin New Health-care Offensive, Top Aide Axelrod Says
“We recognize that were entering the final phases of this debate and were going to do the things that we think are necessary to bring it to a successful close,” White House senior adviser David Axelrod said in an interview yesterday.
An [...]
Grassley Says Deficit Will Limit Scope Of Health-care Overhaul
Grassley, the top Republican on the finance committee, said a bipartisan plan being discussed by panel members will have to be scaled back to have any chance of passing in the wake of new deficit projections released this week. He also said he may not agree to a health-care compromise unless hes certain his states [...]