Press Releases
September 16, 2009
Conrad Calls Finance Committee Proposal a 'Good Start'
'Gang of Six' Plan Critical to Improving Nation's Health Care System, Senator says
Washington – Senator Kent Conrad released the following statement today after Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) unveiled his Chairman’s mark, an initial proposal to address the nation’s broken health care system.
The Baucus mark is the result of months of negotiations between the ‘Gang of Six’ – three Democrats and three Republicans – to develop a bipartisan compromise plan to expand coverage, ensure quality and promote choice when it comes to reforming America’s health care system.
“We all know that the skyrocketing cost of health care in this country has put us on an unsustainable course. Doing nothing is simply not an option. Knowing that, the mark put forward by Chairman Baucus today is a very good start as we work to deliver the health care reform our nation so clearly needs.
“This proposal is fully paid for. It expands coverage to 94 percent of Americans and, most importantly, it begins to bend the health care cost curve in the right way. It also includes a co-op proposal I put forth as an option to expand choice while providing much needed competition to private insurers without putting the government in charge of health care.
“Working with our Republican colleagues, this proposal would prevent those here illegally from benefitting from this expansion in coverage. It also reforms the tax code, begins to address medical malpractice and prevents tax payer dollars from being used to pay for abortions.
“But we all know that, while this is a very good start, it is not a finished product. That’s why it’s so important that we have an active amendment process both in committee and on the floor of the Senate. Colleagues from both sides of the aisle will have ample opportunity to further improve this already quality proposal.”
The other members of the bipartisan ‘Gang of Six’ include: Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Mike Enzi (R-WY).
