Baucus, Harkin Outline Plans For Health Care Overhaul

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 12 Dec 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Wednesday said when the next Congress begins he will have a health care overhaul bill ready to bring to the floor, CQ Today reports. He said, "I'm guessing the first of the year, near the first of the year, we'll have a bill" (Armstrong, CQ Today, 12/10). Baucus added, "I want to get started, and there are going to be certain upfront costs related to health care reform, no question about that" (Cohn, CongressDaily, 12/10).

Baucus also indicated he will pursue a short-term reauthorization of SCHIP.
Baucus said the short-term reauthorization would be "of sufficient duration" to include a longer-term reauthorization into a larger health care overhaul package. According to CQ Today, "Such a short-term reauthorization would signal that Baucus is ready for a lengthy legislative struggle on a broader health overhaul bill."

According to CQ Today, the reform package would not include health IT funds. Baucus said he intends to include funding for health IT initiatives in stimulus legislation.

Baucus on Wednesday said his committee's staff is working with the Congressional Budget Office to finalize policy sections and score savings and costs for is overhaul proposal. He said, "We're quite close," adding, "We're in the process now of what do you need to score this provision."

Despite "the Senate's eagerness" to get started on health care reform, some key Democrats in the House, including incoming Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman (Calif.) and Pete Stark (Calif.), have said they will wait and follow the lead of President-elect Barack Obama on health care reform. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) said Congress should immediately pass SCHIP legislation and then take up health care reform later in the year. "I think if Max (Baucus) thinks we're going to have universal coverage within the first couple months of (the next) Congress, he's being quite optimistic" (Armstrong, CQ Today, 12/10).

Senate HELP Committee Hearing
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) on Wednesday during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing said he expects large health care reform legislation and comprehensive prevention measures to be pushed during the 111th Congress, CQ HealthBeat reports. He said, "With prevention programs in place we can get a return right away in the next year, not 20 or 30 years from now." Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) said that he hopes the Obama administration will seek changes in the approach toward preventive care "early on." Dodd said, "This is a money saver," adding, "This is smart economics in addition to good public policy." Dodd added that prevention is vital to reducing health care costs and will be "a major part of the debate in coming weeks" (Adofo, CQ HealthBeat, 12/10). Harkin also called for HHS to raise the position of the official in charge of prevention efforts for the department (CongressDaily, 12/10).

Also during the hearing, several experts testified about possible preventive health measures and the associated benefits and costs. The experts included Don Wright, principal deputy assistant secretary for health at HHS; Ken Thorpe, executive director of the Partnership To Fight Chronic Disease and a professor at the Rollins School of Public Health; and Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health (CQ HealthBeat, 12/10).

Camp Named Ways and Means Ranking Member
House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee ranking member Dave Camp (R-Mich.) recently was named ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, CQ HealthBeat reports. In his new role, Camp "is likely to emphasize tax- and market-based approaches to overhauling the health care system," according to CQ HealthBeat. As ranking member, "Camp can be expected to argue against cuts in reimbursements to [Medicare Advantage] plans in the program, and to champion the interests of rural providers," CQ HealthBeat reports. According to CQ HealthBeat, "Camp figures to be a force next in the overhaul debate next year for equalizing tax breaks to pay coverage costs" (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 12/10).

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