Two Key players in the health care reform arena are promising to deliver health care overhaul bill by June
21 04 09 - 17:46
Sens. promise health care bill by June
By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN - Politico
Two Senate chairmen confirmed in writing Monday what they have been promising for weeks: a health care overhaul bill ready for floor debate by June.
President Barack Obama received the pledge from Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) a day ahead of the first of three Senate roundtable discussions on health reform.
In a letter to the president, Baucus and Kennedy said both their committees will move legislation that “can be quickly merged into a single bill for consideration on the Senate floor.”
“Our intention is for that legislation to be very similar and to reflect a shared approach to reform,” they wrote.
Baucus has said he considers Tuesday’s Finance Committee roundtable a critical step in writing a bill. The first meeting will focus on how to improve the way health care is delivered.