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No Public Option in Secret Baucus Health Plan…Baucus Tops Congress in Campaign Funds From Private Health Industry

NewsJuly 28, 2009
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President Obama’s plan to overhaul the nation’s healthcare system and create a public insurance option has been dealt a possible setback in the Senate.

A bipartisan group of six Senators on the Senate Finance Committee has been working in secret for weeks to draft an alternative to President Obama’s plan to overhaul the nation’s healthcare system.

The alternative legislation under consideration would not require businesses to offer health care coverage to their workers and would not contain a public insurance option, despite support for such an option from American voters

The Senate legislation was drafted during meetings in the office of Montana Democrat Max Baucus, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

Last month, the Montana Standard reported Max Baucus has received more campaign money from health and insurance industry interests than any other member of Congress. In the past six years, nearly one-fourth of every dime raised by Baucus and his political-action committee has come from groups and individuals associated with drug companies, insurers, hospitals, medical-supply firms, health-service companies and other health professionals.

Go to our interview with the Montana reporter who broke the story

Full Democracy Now! Healthcare Coverage

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