Sen. Max Baucus isn’t wasting any time in his push for health-care reform. The Montana Democrat and chair of the Senate Finance Committee said he wants a vote on legislation that would move the country closer to a universal health-care system by early summer. From the AP:
WASHINGTON – A key Senate committee chairman said Tuesday he wants a comprehensive health care reform bill on the Senate floor by early summer.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., set out the aggressive schedule a day after President Barack Obama designated a White House health reform czar and nominated Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to head the department of Health and Human Services.
Obama also made health reform a priority in his budget proposal last week, and is preparing to host a White House summit on the issue Thursday.
All that sets the stage for Congress to transform Obama’s goal of universal coverage into legislation.
“There’s never been a better moment” for that to happen, Baucus said at a forum at the Kaiser Family Foundation, even while signaling that Obama’s outline of a plan is certain to undergo major changes before lawmakers are through.