(Thumbnail image from The New York Times)
“After so many months and so many pitched battles over health care, finally today we have an actual proposal to debate!” (CNN)
The Senate finance committee released their highly anticipated health care reform proposal today with the plan coming in at $856 million. Senator Baucus spearheaded the effort in the past months and continues to be the bill’s lightning rod. The proposal has even been dubbed Baucus’ Bill.FOX News paints Baucus as a rogue force, leaving bi-partisanship in the dust.
“He will be standing at that podium all by his lonesome. Because after month of negotiations, with the bipartisan gang of six, including 3 republicans and 3 democrats, as well as inputs from various different people on the finance committee, none of them have agreed to support this. It was supposed to be bi-partisan and the senate chairman will be doing this basically by himself.”
True/Slant.com’s Justin Gardner points that compromise must come from both sides and Democrats shouldn’t sacrifice the heart of the bill to look bipartisan.
“Personally I think that would be a really bad political move, but it would mean Dems could pass the bill they want with a robust public option instead of a compromise built on shaky bi-partisan support…and that’s attractive to a lot of Dems.”
Senator Tom Clark of Delaware, a member of the finance committee, talks to anchor Erin Burnett on MSNBC. She asks him if it is truly possible for taxes to stay where they are.
“There would be fees on insurers, device makers and drug makers, that the President obviously referred to in his address to the nation. I’ve spoken to CEOs in all three of those areas and they will admit directly that they will pass that on to consumers, so it is a tax that would be born by the American public. Um, why not just call it that?” |  |  |  |
