Health care fight begins

Yesterday Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) offered the first step towards getting universal health care coverage for all the Americans who survive the global financial apocalypse: his very own White Paper outlining his plans for coverage. The long and short of it is it's Barack Obama's plan plus a mandate. Which means it's Clinton's plan, which means it's Edwards' plan. If you liked those, you'll like this. Aside from expanding Medicare to people aged 55 to 64, Medicaid to everyone below the poverty level, and SCHIP to all children in families making under $45,000, it offers:

- A choice of public or private: Creates a “health insurance exchange,” where people could choose from among private insurance policies and a new public Medicare-like plan.

- End to discrimination: Prohibits insurers from denying coverage of preexisting conditions or age.

- More affordable coverage: Offers new tax breaks for individuals and small businesses to offset the costs of insurance.

- Easier to enroll: Ends the current ban against immigrants participating in Medicaid or SCHIP in their first five years in the United States.

- Focus on prevention: Uninsured would receive a “RightChoices” card that guarantees access to recommended preventive care.

- Payment reform: Refocuses payment incentives from quantity (fee-for-service) toward quality and value.

Now a lot of it is vague (what does affordable really mean, what constitutes coverage) and that's as it should be, as this isn't actually a bill or his version of a bill, it's a general framework by which the Democrats are going to open discussions about and eventually hammer out a real bill. Furthermore it's an attempt by Baucus to yoke the reins and control of the discussion to a Congressional led effort instead of a White House lead one. Furthermore it's a starting point to bring in other senators with their own health care proposals (Kennedy, Clinton, Wyden) and hash out additions/subtractions et cetera.

More importantly it's the first step to the next congress taking up health care reform in a meaningful, substantive, and serious manner. It also means that Congress and the White House are on the same page in regards to health care. Which means we might actually get health care coverage at some point in an Obama Administration. Maybe get a little excited. That is if your poor health can afford the excitement.

Go to Ezra Klein, Paul Krugman, Jonathan Cohn, Kevin Drum, and Steve Benen for more intelligent take than the guy who is trying to come up more mean spirited McCain jokes.