America's Healthy Future Act
[12] The Baucus proposal stalled in the committee in August 2009 due to the town hall meetings faced by members of Congress, in which many opponents attended.
Commentator Jack Cafferty and representatives from the Physicians for a National Health Program and Campaign Money Watch have argued that this lobbying creates a conflict of interest for the Senators.
[16][17] Baucus disputes the allegations, referring to a 2007 meeting reported on by The Wall Street Journal in which he told medical lobbyists "[y]ou should worry about me coming after you.
"[14] According to Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), the cost of the average employer-provided insurance plan will rise to nearly $31,000 in several years if no health care reform measures are done.
[4] According to Politico: Senator John Ensign (R-NV) received a handwritten note Thursday from Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold confirming the penalty for failing to pay the up to $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance.
[4] According to Baucus: In order to prevent undocumented immigrants from accessing the state exchanges obtaining federal health care tax credits, the Chairman's Mark requires verification of the following personal data.
The group has also stated that the tax will cause employers to offer workers higher (taxable) cash wages instead of health benefits, thus generating more government revenue.
[28] A CBO report issued on October 7 stated that enacting the proposal would, on net, end up reducing the federal deficit by $81 billion over the 2010–2019 period.
[10] That report prompted praise from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who called the scoring a "landmark occasion".
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), criticized the numbers as misleading given that the Baucus proposal would not come into effect for about another five years.
[29] On September 25, the health correspondent for the News Hour with Jim Lehrer reported that the Committee had cut the proposed tax to medical supplies that belong to 'Class A', which includes items such as condoms and band-aids that cost below $100.
[12] According to Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, the Health Committee's proposal and the House bill would both lead to budget deficits, in contrast to the Baucus plan, which would reduce the debt.
Senator Jay Rockefeller's amendment was rejected 15 to 8, with five Democrats (Baucus, Kent Conrad, Blanche Lincoln, Tom Carper, Bill Nelson) and all Republicans voting no.
[34] Baucus played a key role in facilitating the recent agreement between the Obama administration and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in which the group promised an $80 billion reduction in Medicare drug prices over ten years.
The San Francisco Chronicle referred to her vote as "a coup" for Baucus, coming after criticism from his fellow Democrats for making too many compromises.
[8][9] Snowe, as well as some moderate Democratic members of the committee, have vowed that they will drop their support for the Baucus plan if a 'public option' is added at any point.
[36] Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), a key figure behind the rival Healthy Americans Act, expressed concern that Baucus' plan would not do enough to promote competition in the private insurance marketplace.
[34] In an official GOP weekly message in mid-October, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas argued that "Americans inherently know government interference drives costs up, not down....
[41] Harold A. Schaitberger, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, stated that the proposal "puts a bigger tax on middle-income Americans who are already paying enough".
Jim Hoffa, president of the Teamsters union, and Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) also expressed opposition to the health plan tax.
President Barack Obama expressed support for the proposed tax, saying that "I do think that giving a disincentive to insurance companies to offer Cadillac plans that don't make people healthier is part of the way that we're going to bring down health care costs for everybody over the long term.
[24] The National Council of La Raza opposes the measures in the proposal that require individuals to prove their citizenship status before receiving coverage.
[42] Former CIGNA VP-turned health care activist Wendell Potter has criticized the Senate Committee for rejecting a public option.
[43] Howard Dean, former Democratic National Committee chairman, has remarked that "The Baucus bill is the worst piece of healthcare legislation I've seen in 30 years."
"[33] Americans United for Life (AUL), the first national pro-life organization in the US, has stated that federal taxpayer funding of abortion could still be mandated by the Baucus bill, despite claims to the contrary.
AUL's CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest stated that the bill "provides $6 billion for the establishment of health insurance cooperatives which would be permitted to cover abortion".
[44] The editors of National Review criticized the plan, arguing that "his proposal resorts to the same kinds of arbitrary fee cuts, taxes, and regulatory payment-control schemes that have been tried many times before and have never worked.
[46] The Wall Street Journal editorialized that Baucus' plan, a "Rube Goldberg proposal", would eventually lead to a total government takeover of the health care industry.
[6] B'nai B'rith International and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism both released statements praising the Senate Finance Committee after its vote in favor of the Baucus plan on October 13.
[47] On October 14, journalists from Financial Times stated that "[t]he bill claims that it will bend the fiscal curve by reducing the rate of healthcare inflation.... Economists are sceptical on whether it will achieve this aim.
