From: L.A. Times - Health
Democrats Tom Daschle and George Mitchell are set to join
Republicans Bob Dole and Howard Baker on a proposal that would be
paid for with spending cuts and tax increases. Trying to prevent a
repeat of the 1990s standoff over healthcare, four former Senate
leaders are preparing a plan that combines ideas from both
political parties to guarantee coverage for all.
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House Democrats unveil healthcare bill
The proposal includes a divisive government insurance option, among
other reforms. Senior House Democrats on Friday introduced their
plan for reshaping the nations healthcare system, calling for a new
government insurance option, a new mandate on employers to provide
coverage and a new guarantee of subsidized healthcare for the poor.
Senators outline less-costly healthcare overhaul
The plan would cost about $600 billion, versus an earlier
$1-trillion price tag, and eventually would cover 97% of Americans,
Sens. Kennedy and Dodd say. Democrats on a key Senate committee
outlined a revised and far less costly healthcare plan Wednesday
night that includes a government-run insurance option and an annual
fee on employers who do not offer coverage to their workers.
Republicans question cost of healthcare reform Feinstein expresses doubt
Sen. Lindsey Graham calls a cost analysis report a death blow to a
government-run health plan. Sen. Dianne Feinstein says there might
not be enough votes among fellow Democrats to pass a plan.
Republicans questioned the cost of healthcare reform plans Sunday,
and even Sen. Dianne Feinstein D-Calif. acknowledged similar
concerns and said she wasnt sure there were enough votes among
President Obamas fellow Democrats to pass a plan at the moment.
House Democrats unveil healthcare overhaul plan
The bill creates a government insurance option, increases insurance
regulation, and raises taxes on the wealthy to help pay for it. It
immediately draws Republican fire. Capping months of work, House
Democratic leaders on Tuesday introduced their plan for a sweeping
remake of the nation's healthcare system. Among the provisions in
the 1,018-page bill: creation of a new government insurance option,
increased regulation of the insurance industry and other steps to
ensure near-universal medical coverage for the first time in U.S.
history.
The centrist alternative on healthcare: Cooperatives
A bipartisan group of senators, uneasy with public plan's prospects
for passage, endorses cooperatives, which would offer a system of
health providers or contract out for members' medical services.
Senate Democrats debating how to overhaul America's healthcare
system are moving toward a showdown over whether to create a
government-run insurance program or set up a system of cooperatives
instead.
