Legal Commentary

Baucus For Health Care Mandates

By Big Tent Democrat

Boy, was I ever wrong about Baucus on health care. Steve M., you were right. Baucus proposes:

Baucus of Montana, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said in a health-care blueprint released today that only a mandate could ensure people didn't wait until they were ill to buy health insurance, forcing up the price for everyone. The 89-page proposal revives a debate from the Democratic presidential primaries about how to overhaul the U.S. health- care system. Obama supported requiring coverage only for children, saying adults would buy coverage voluntarily if it were affordable. Senator Hillary Clinton of New York said insurance must be mandated for everyone.

[More...]

"Requiring all Americans to have health coverage will help end the shifting of costs of the uninsured to the insured," Baucus said today in his plan. The requirement "would be enforced possibly through the U.S. tax system or some other point of contact between individuals and the government," he said, without spelling out possible penalties.

Whoa! Baucus is proposing the Clinton/Edwards plan for health care? Who'da thunk it? Not me.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on November 12, 2008 (boomark / email).