Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said Wednesday that his committee will debate a health care overhaul bill the week of Sept 22, whether or not he has the panel’s Republicans on board.
The Montana Democrat was hoping the committee’s “Gang of Six” of three Republican and three Democratic members would reach a compromise Wednesday ahead of President Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress, but the group wasn’t able to reach an agreement.
Mr. Baucus told reporters he will issue a formal legislative draft, called a chairman’s mark, next week, followed by the mark-up session, and predicted that there will be an overhaul bill “by the end of the year.”
His proposal, Mr. Baucus said, will likely resemble closely the proposal he released over the weekend, which proposed creating health care co-operatives and fees on insurance companies. It does not have a public insurance option supported by many liberal Democrats in Congress or a tax on high-income Americans.
Mr. Baucus said he expects “some” Republican votes, but said bipartisan support was not mandatory.
“If there are not any, I will move forward anyway,” he said.
Mr. Baucus said Republican members in the negotiating group may have been reluctant to commit to anything before they heard the president’s speech this evening.
“Republicans may want to wait and see what he’s going to say,” Mr. Baucus said.
The group planned to continue its meetings Wednesday afternoon.
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