The American Spectator

home
ADVERTISEMENT
Print Email
Text Size

The Spectacle Blog

The Baucus Plan

Max Baucus has unveiled his own attempt at health care legislation aimed at drawing broad support, but it's hard to see where the constituency is for this proposal. Though less expensive than other proposals, it still would reportedly cost about $900 billion over 10 years and include subsidies for individuals as well as a massive expansion of Medicaid. After months of trying to come up with a way to finance the legislation, his big solution is to tax insurers as well as high-end health care plans. The tax on insurers would almost certainly be passed directly on to consumers, while the tax on plans is vehemently opposed by unions who have negotiated generous health benefits for their members, often instead of salary increases. Meanwhile, the proposal doesn't include a government-run plan, but instead uses the co-op model that is viewed suspiciously by conservatives who see it as a "public option" by another name and skeptically by liberals who view it as a sellout to the insurance industry. Save Olympia Snowe, it's hard to see any Republicans getting behind the Baucus proposal, and it looks like a complete non-starter among the left.

View all comments (2) | Leave a comment

Tim| 9.8.09 @ 3:58PM

Another feeble offering from the Republican Party.
Why bother engaging those ill mannered tea party rednecks? We can discuss this like gentlemen over drinks at the 19th hole?

jr| 9.8.09 @ 5:46PM

What a brillant idea -- stick it to the insurance companies -- the evil companies who have caused all of the uninsured (including illegals) to go hungry for health care. That will fix it - again. That was the theme of the libs when Medicare and Medicaid was enacted -- two significant problems fixed. I do not want my costs to increase because of illegals, for one. Same for those who do not chose to purchase health care. No one bought my health care, I did it myself.

Leave a Comment

N.B. We encourage readers to share and discuss their thoughtful and relevant comments about this Spectator article. Comments are routinely monitored and will be deleted if profane, bigoted, or grossly impolite. Please be respectful. (And don't feed the trolls!) Thank you.

More Blog Posts by Philip Klein

http://spectator.org/blog/2009/09/08/the-baucus-plan

ADVERTISEMENT

The Spectacle Blog

Meghan McCain Doesn't Get It

Jeffrey Lord | 1:36PM

The Paul Factor

W. James Antle, III | 1:29PM

Bain v. Solyndra

W. James Antle, III | 12:11PM

Illusionist

Yogi Love | 10:06AM

At Least He Apologized

Ross Kaminsky | 8:34AM

Gallup: Veterans Prefer Romney

W. James Antle, III | 5.28.12

SPONSORED LINKS

Special Feature

Better that we become a nation of choosers rather than beggars. Our symposium on choice from the May, 2012 issue:

A Time for Choosing

James Piereson

The Road from Serfdom

Stephen Moore and Peter Ferrara

FLASHBACK TO: 1984

Clip of the Day

Most Popular Articles

Meet the Flukes!

F. H. Buckley | 5.25.12

Terror by Any Other Name

Robert Stacy McCain | 5.29.12

The Wisconsin Turning Point

Peter Ferrara | 5.23.12

In Search of Muhammad

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi | 5.25.12

The White House Sieve

Jed Babbin | 5.29.12

Age and Kyl

Quin Hillyer | 5.25.12

Osceola Who?

Reid Collins | 5.29.12

ADVERTISEMENT