It looks like some members of Senate aren’t wasting any time to get one of Obama’s key campaign promises out there:
Two of the Senate’s most influential leaders are working separately behind the scenes on legislation that would dramatically alter the way Americans get health care, hoping their early efforts — including the release today of a position paper — will push President-elect Barack Obama to move rapidly on the issue and spare the incoming administration some of the missteps that killed Bill Clinton’s health reform initiative in 1994.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is unveiling a 104-page blueprint today that serves as the opening move in a fierce competition in the Senate to frame the debate. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), who is battling a life-threatening brain cancer, has directed aides over the past several months to convene negotiating sessions with a diverse group of stakeholders, including physicians, patient advocates, small-business owners and insurers. He intends to have legislation drafted by Inauguration Day.
A healthy America is key to a good economy. When workers are sick they can’t perform. When insurance premiums keep skyrocketing, employers profits start shrinking and salaries go down. This is something very basic that Republicans can’t seem to grasp. Paul Krugman is even calling this “very big news“.