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Is The Baucus Bill Better Than H.R. 3200?

Statement

Date: Sept. 30, 2009
Issues: Health and Health Care

Q: Dr. Cassidy, some folks are saying the new Senate Finance Committee bill is better than what we've seen so far. Is it?

A: If the goal of health care reform is to expand access to quality care by lowering costs, then the Senate Finance Committee's bill isn't the answer.

The Kaiser Family Foundation published a report showing that the average cost of private health coverage increased by 5 percent last year. Under the Senate Finance Committee's bill, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says costs will rise by about 7 percent per year. That's a little better than the House bill (H.R. 3200), which CBO estimates will cause health care costs to increase by 8% per year. But both are worse than the status quo. At a minimum, the solution should not cost more than the problem.


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