WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- A key figure in the U.S. healthcare debate said Monday he will make changes in his proposed reforms that will help middle-income consumers purchase coverage.
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said he would also modify the proposal he unveiled last week so it will lower the impact of a proposed tax on policies favored by upper-income Americans, The New York Times reported.
Baucus said the alterations he will propose will illustrate that he has heard criticism among Senate colleagues of the proposal he announced last week. One frequent criticism was that federal subsidies he proposed would be inadequate to help many Americans purchase mandated healthcare coverage.
"Affordability -- that, I think, is the primary concern," he said. "We want to make sure that if Americans have to buy insurance, it's affordable."
Members of the Senate have submitted 564 amendments for consideration by the Finance Committee, The Washington Post said Monday. Many of the proposed amendments have to do with affordability and protecting Medicare from spending cuts.
The modifications could add $28 billion over 10 years to the projected cost of Baucus' proposal, the Times said. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the cost currently at $774 billion.
