In an article published on the websites of at least 50 media outlets, the AP (3/4, Werner) reports that at a Kaiser Family Foundation forum Senate Finance Committee, Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) "wants a comprehensive healthcare reform bill on the Senate floor by early summer." The White House healthcare summit, the release of President Obama's budget plan, and his nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) to lead HHS "sets the stage for Congress to transform Obama's goal of universal coverage into legislation." Sen.Baucus said, "There's never been a better moment" for healthcare reform, but also signaled "that Obama's outline of a plan is certain to undergo major changes before lawmakers are through."
Bloomberg News (3/4, Marcus) reports Baucus's schedule "gives Republicans and Democrats about four months to agree how to reshape medical coverage, including whether government programs or private insurance should cover more Americans." While he has been working with Sen. Edward Kennedy's (D-MA) staff on legislation, "Baucus's committee is 'ahead of' Kennedy's in preparing a measure, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told reporters at the Capitol today." Sen. Reid said, "At this stage we don't need a referee," and "Baucus has said he would like the two committees to agree on one measure."
CQ (3/4, Armstrong) notes, "In a shift from statements late last year, Baucus also promised that the healthcare overhaul legislation would be fully offset. 'It will not add to the deficit,' Baucus said. 'It will be paid for.'" Funding for healthcare information technology and comparative effectiveness in the stimulus "has helped free lawmakers to make such promises." But, even if reform is passed, Sen. Baucus predicted it "will remain a long-term process," saying, "This will be phased in over time...it's going to take a couple, three years."
Sen. Baucus considering option popular with Republicans. Time (3/4, Tumulty) reports that since President Obama has outlined broad principles for healthcare reform, allowing legislators to negotiate the details, "the next few months will see a wide range of options under consideration, including ideas that go well beyond the healthcare plan Obama proposed in his campaign, which centered on effort to expand" employer-based coverage. At the Kaiser forum, Sen. Baucus said that among the options he was considering "is one that has significant support among Republicans: changing the tax treatment of employer-provided health benefits." Many Democrats are opposed to the proposal, however. Meanwhile, "one proposal apparently not on his table is the dream of many liberals -- a government-run system known as single-payer." In addition to working with Kennedy, Baucus has been working with Finance Committee ranking member Charles Grassley (R-IA). Sen. Baucus said, "The real effort is to keep this bipartisan. ... The assumption here is to find a way to get to yes."
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