Has beens weigh in on health care reform

“Democrats Tom Daschle and George Mitchell are set to joinRepublicans Bob Dole and Howard Baker on Wednesday to release a $1.2trillion proposal that would be fully paid for with a combination ofspending cuts and tax increases,” the Associated Press reports.The proposal from the four former Senate leaders “combines ideas fromboth political parties to guarantee coverage for all” and is an attemptto “prevent a repeat of the 1990s standoff over health care.”

“Asummary of the plan calls for an individual requirement to carry healthinsurance, an idea that many Republicans support. But it would alsoimpose new levies on large companies that don’t provide coverage totheir workers, an approach preferred by Democrats. Perhaps the mostcontroversial part calls for taxing health insurance benefits worthmore than the value of the coverage that members of Congress get.”   Asfor the question of a public option, the proposal “would leave it up tothe states to create publicly sponsored insurance plans that wouldcompete with private insurers.” The former Senators “acknowledged theydon’t have to answer to voters or worry about interest groups anylonger. But they said health care is too important an issue to getdragged down again by partisan political warfare” (6/17).

Source:  Kaiser Health News, http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2009/June/17/Daschle.aspx

Ed:  Why does this bug me so much?  They had no interest in health care reform when they were in a position to make a real difference…and then there is that pharmaceutical lobbying thing….hmmmm