Or should we call it the “Gang of 6” health plan?

Talkingpointsmemo.com has published the summary of the health plan:

Key Features of the Plan

• No Public insurance option. This was anticipated the Baucus plan relies on non-profit health insurance cooperatives to compete with private, for-profit, insurance companies.
• Mandated Health Coverage.  Almost all Americans will be required to carry health insurance.
• Tax credits to lower and middle income Americans. The plan is to use tax credits as  the method of subsidizing people who will now be required to purchase health insurance but unable to afford the full cost.
• Increased federal support of Medicaid.  More people will be added to the Medicaid rolls by expanding the program to citizens and legal immigrants to those who earn less than 133% of the current federal poverty level.
• Healthcare insurance exchanges. The exchanges would provide information allowing consumers to better make decisions on policies and compare prices between plans.

• Prevents Insurance Companies from discriminating against individuals based on their health or demographic profile, and from capping coverage
• Limits “out of pocket expenses” for health care to $6,000 per individual, and $12,000 per family.
• No denial of coverage for pre-existing health conditions.  This is only possible if insurance is required for everyone.
• Eliminates expense cap on healthcare coverage, often insurance companies have a lifetime “Cap” on the total amount they will spend on a patient, the Baucus Plan eliminates that cap.
• No dropping insurance coverage once a policy holder becomes ill.
• Coverage of wellness and prevention programs becomes the focus of health plans with greater coverage for those programs

Paying for the plan includes

• New tax on insurance companies. Reform would be financed by a combination of a new tax on insurance companies who offer high end insurance plans and a fee based on market share.  This is estimated to generate $200 billion in the tax, and $100 billion in fees.
• Cuts in Medicare — $400 billion will come from cuts and savings in the current Medicare program this includes payments to hospitals and physicians.

The bill was swiftly denounced by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who complained it would cut Medicare, which provides insurance to the elderly, and impose new tax burdens on families and small businesses.

Should not that be championed?  The Repubs have been trying to kill Medicare for decades….but now it is a concern to them with the issuing of this plan.

Sorry Progressives…ain’t happening…there is NO public option mentioned in this plan, by the way a plan from a Dem that takes large sums of the health and insurance industries.

Now we will see just how gutless the Dems are…will they jump on this as a victory or will they fight for the option they have been championing all through the primaries and the subsequent election.

Now the slicing and dicing….the practice known as the “mark up” begins….the Senate bills will be played with until they have one bill and then it will go to the floor of the Senate for a vote……I can only imagine the games that will be played now.