Roger Collier

Hopes for Senate passage of a healthcare reform bill were further dented this week when the Democratic leadership’s proposal for eliminating the Medicare physician fee reductions required by the sustainable growth rate formula was soundly defeated.

Publication of the CBO’s scoring of the final Chairman’s Mark version of the Senate Finance Committee’s draft reform bill at $829 billion over ten years, while covering some 94 percent of American residents, has given a big boost to Chairman Baucus’ efforts.

In the latest of a long series of optimistic pronouncements, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus stated Thursday that he wanted to complete markup of the Committee’s health care reform bill “by nightfall."

Politico reports that Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus is now promising that his committee’s reform bill will be released on Tuesday September 15.

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus has returned from his summer break with a new proposal for his Gang of Six — the three Democrats and three Republicans charged with negotiating details of the Committee’s reform bill.

One of the effects of the exaggerations, misinterpretations, distortions, and downright lies about Congressional healthcare reform proposals has been to deter more objective analysis.

Five congressional committees and their staffs, plus numerous Obama administration officials, have been working on health care reform for more than three months, with no immediate end in sight.

Health care reform looks like it's stalled. And rightly so, based on the provisions of the House Democrats' health care reform bill.

After some frantic last minute political gyrations and a lot of pressure from the President, House Democrats have announced details of their draft health care reform bill.

Three news stories this week seem to suggest that health care reform is getting closer. Cynics may have some doubts, however.