In a plain-spoken way, Sarri Gilman on HeraldNet.com expresses many of my sentiments on the pace of healthcare. You can read her opinion piece here.
The Huffington Post reprints a depressing AP article today. The AP reports that the Senate Finance Committee has a plan to “exclude a requirement many congressional Democrats seek for large businesses to offer coverage to their workers. Nor would there be a provision for a government insurance option..” You can read the entire article here.
Now, Senator Max Baucus is the chairman of this committee. Could his efforts to drop these two key provisions have anything to do with special interest groups donating money to him?
The Washington Post reported recently that “Health-related companies and their employees gave Baucus’s political committees nearly $1.5 million in 2007 and 2008…” In late May, Baucus held a dinner to discuss “health-care legislation under consideration by his Senate Finance Committee.” In attendance were 20 healthcare industry representatives. To attend this dinner, a donation of “$10,000 or more to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee” was required.
Moreover, the healthcare industry “gave nearly $170 million to federal lawmakers in 2007 and 2008…”
The Post’s article can be found here and you can judge for yourself how unbiased the Senator is in crafting this legislation.
I am concerned about the Obama Healthcare Plan. Will it cause costly changes to my loved ones budget? How do the benefits counterbalance the negatives?