CNN

this is lose-lose problem for democraps...no matter what, 2010 you lose big time.

Max, if there is no public option, you will not get my vote again, ever.

This plan looks way to complicated! it appears that too much money would be spent on administrative costs rather than medical services. We need to study plan that works, like the French or Canadian plans, and then implement the best parts of their plasn that have proven track records. Currently, the US spends 15.3% of our gross domsetic product on health care, but yet we rank 37th in the world in terms of overall performance (source: World health organization). France spend 11% of GDP, and they rank number one in overall care. The US is not the best health care in the world, unless of your ultra rich, thanks to the Republicans that say NO to any and all reform.

No mattter what the Democrats come up with, the republicans will never sign off on it because they are the party of NOOOOOOO!!!!!

To be quite honest, I don't know where Senator Max Baucus of Montana is going or doing and he is my Senator. If he backs off on the 'public option' in the new health care reform legislation bill. I, my family and friends, will 'not' be voting for Max the next time around. If you think, he sounds confused, think about us in Montana. Mike in Montana P.S.: The story around here is.., the big corporate 'greedy' health care medical insurance companies has gotten to Max. Sad.., but true. Well, sad for us and the nation.

Grassley is a moron. Forget the meeting and schedule it for a vote!!

senator bacaus has done all he can to come up with the cost of healthcare reform. Its down I do believe a hundred billion dollars. He has found ways to cut cost. If President Obama has to sign a co op bill so be it. Something is better then nothing. These repugs better get on board the our president. They have no answer, no solution, and no plan to solve healthcare. Put up or shut up Grassley along with your party of no

Mr Baucus your plan stinks. What are you thinking if you charge the insurance companies a fee they will turn around and pass it right back to the consumer. Get your head out of your you know what and quit trying to appease the republicans.

I wish the republicans would fade away...and take their idiotic ideas with them. Better yet, send them all to Iraq.

18 pages is much more palatable than 1,067! I didn't have time to give a full read, only a cursory review. I see they've singled out smokers as being eligible for higher rates, but failed to mention alcoholics, junkies etc. I guess those are politically correct addictions. If smokers are going to have to pony up more for their insurance, then the Congress should make sure to expand the revenue sources for SCHIP. Smokers pay a heavy enough price. I smoke and have only visited the doctor once in the last 15 years (prior to that I was in the military and had compulsory annual check ups). I am far less a burden to my insurance carrier than most folks, yet I get to pay more for the same thing.

Maybe I'll switch from cigs to cocaine or something! Or, I could just start drinking, that ought to save me a few bucks.

The bottom line isn't the bottom line, so to speak, for Grassley. The very notion that healthcare reform and providing care for uninsured will inconvenience his insurance lobby cronies in the slightest, Grassley will oppose it.

The Republicans aren't going to compromise on ANY Democratic plan. It's time to move forward without them.

$750-780 billion is still obscene in these times of deficits equal to 9% of GDP. All members of Congress should be required to take Accounting 101 and Economics 101.

Intitially I had high hopes that Grassley could help push through a bipartisan plan that might actually do some good, unlike what the far left or right want to do (which would amount to little help to making things worse respectively). Unfortunately, after reading some of his comments he made during the August break to satisfy is conservative base I've put him in the far right group.

Grassley How??? Move on without the GOPers!

This is a joke, right.

No tort reform mentioned. No tort reform mentioned. That might help, but would make a the trial lawyers, the big liberal contributors, mad. They are not going to make them mad, the libs would rather those of us who actually work pay the increased taxes to support the lazy, dope smokers they represent. That is until the pass the cap and trade, and put us all out of work. Then Waxman and Boxer can probably win a phony Nobel prize like Al Gore did.

My reply to Baucus: stick it!

Wow....taxes and penalties abound in this. And NO tort reform mentioned whatsoever! Forget it. I ain't playin'....and I ain't payin', either.

I have one question........................

WHERE IS YOUR PLAN?

If Snake in the Grassley is going to be the dictator in this country, at least let the people for ALL states vote next year whether or not we want him back in DC.

He's a liar and a fear-monger. Right-wing fringe leader, not wanted by most of us.

the reform Grassley is
Premiums go up 10% every year (in 5 years we'll have to choose between health insurance and food).
Insurance companies continue to dictate what services our doctors can provide (not interfering into doctor patient relationship)
Ins. companies dinying coverage for pre-existing conditions (your great grandmother died of cancer. Therefore you are predisposed to it)

Who cares? Grassley LIED to his constituents about death panels and a whole host of other things. Why anyone would entertain anything the old fart has to say or would give him the slightest opportunity to engage in a bait-and-switch like this thing with Baucus no doubt was...promising he'd behave reasonably in response to Baucus' proposal when he obviously intended to pooh-pooh it from the get-go...is beyond me. IGNORE THE GOP. LISTEN TO WHAT AMERICA TOLD YOU ON NOVEMBER 4, 2008. WE WANT HEALTH CARE REFORM NOW!!! SH-T OR GET OFF THE POT!

Grassley and Enzi have No intention on voting for any health care by their ridiculous rhetoric and immoral lies. Their nonsense in the misguided "Gang of 6" should NOT be allowed to obstruct the process any longer. Enough.

The majority in America supports moral reforms with a compassionate public option. Health Care Now, as we elected Congress to do.

Of course Senator Grassley has a problem with a fee for his insurance company buddies............But he has NO problem with the American people being driven into poverty by 25 to 30% yearly increases along with decreases in coverage.............The Repubs will never go along with anything the President or Democrats propose.......They are the party of NO and hopefully our country can become the party of NO REPUBS!!
Forget them

Of course Senator Grassley has a problem with a fee for his insurance company buddies............But he has NO problem with the American people being driven into poverty by 25 to 30% yearly increases along with decreases in coverage.............The Repubs will never go along with anything the President or Democrates propose.......They are the party of NO and hopefully our country can become the party of NO REPUBS!!
Forget them

The only republican it looks like we can count on is Sen. Snowe and she's for a "trigger" plan. I say to hell with the rest of the republicans, let's get's Snowe's vote and get this done.

P.S. Baucus has been against the public option from word one ! He is really a Republican masking his true beliefs! Where do these guys come from ? Health care has doubled in the last 10 years and they blame the American public for using too much health care ! Sounds like both parties are off the books insurance employees !!!

What a hypercrit ! The entire Republican party stood up and saluted President Bush when he started the Iraq War ! They allowed the true costs of the war to be off the books and now that they lost the presidency claim they are acting as fiscal conservatives, yet once again ! These are the same architects of the now forgotten savings and loan scandals! These idiots are mocking the American people as they pull off the greatest rope-a-dope in modern history !!! The insurance executives are laughing themselves silly !!!

I read it. A lot of it makes sense. Still didn't see anything on tort reform though. Not bad for a first draft.

Compromise is not in Grassley's vocabulary. The Republicans today are a joke. They always use the "slippery slope" argument. They are only interested in protecting the "status quo" of a select few. They have absolutely no solutions, except "don't change it."

It dont matter what the cost may be the Republicans want to waist the Democrats time before you know it will be Christmas and they still will be debating about Health Care Reform. Republicans if you dont want this then move out of our way so we can get H.C. Reform done.Democrats stop playing with the Republicans because they dont want this, they are trying to win the next election.

Grassley, whose pockets are lined with $2m+ in Health Industry cash, is not interested in health care reform, he's just there to represent the Health Industry.

Same for Baucus, whose pockets are also lined with $2m+ in health industry money.

This Gang of Six was a stupid idea from the very beginning.

Out of Control

I hope you democrats don't think the country is not watching this game with the price tag ever going up. The country just can't afford it now. I am wondering why if this program is so important to you, why didn't you shove it through before you pointed the country into bankruptcy earlier this year?

Now can we take president Clinton advice forget the GOP.

If any of those billions involve having working Americans paying the medical bills of total strangers, the plan is unacceptable.

And to you leeches who want someone to pay your bills for you, Cuba isn't that far away. I hear the medical care is excellent–if you're a member of the "Friends of Fidel" club.

YOU'RE KIDDING !!!!

Grassley doesn't like the bill?!?!?!?!?!?! Boy oh boy if I didn't know better I'd think Senator Grassley is being a little disingenuous and is maybe not acting in complete good faith. But I know that couldn't be because Senator Grassley, and all republicans, put country first and party second.

Remember "I hope he fails".

Well, let's see.
Baucus has received over $4 MILLION in campaign funding from health care businesses and Grassley almost $3 MILLION.
Could it be possible they will support the insurance, drug
companies benefiting from Health Care Reform??
(These figures are several months old so hard telling what they
are now).

From CNN – "The bill for lobbyists, television ads and political donations has topped $375 million - or enough to pay the entire insurance tab for about 30,000 families a year."

Obama raised 750 million in buying the White House. Guess that could insure a few thousand more.

Hardly the 47 million that the Obama administration says has no insurance (that number also includes illegals).

So, what is the point of the CNN statement above???? Inane at best. Slanted at worst.

How can Grassley seriously whine about the $880 bilion price tag after the Trillion Dollar fiasco the Republicans got us into because of their blind support of Bush's Iraq War and irresponsible tax cuts? He must be suffering from short-term memory loss! He has somehow forgotten the Repubs were in charge when Bush was running up record deficits. And now he (along with the GOP) has "discovered" fiscal responsibility? What a crock.

Let's get real here. No Republican (with the exception of Snowe) is going to vote for ANY healthcare bill written by a Democrat, no matter how good it is. The catch is that the GOP has yet to write one.