President Barack Obama

On week after President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress on healthcare, Senator Baucus has released the Senate Finance Finance Committee’s version of a healthcare reform bill. Key feature is that there is no public option.

As chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Baucus is a powerful political factor on the issue of healthcare. His bill proposes a ten year, $856 billion program that has a manadatory requirement to purchase health insurance, but with no public plan available. This bill is unlikely to attract Republican support or progressive Democratic enthusiasm. President Obama will have a tough call in deciding on supporting the Finance Committee bill.