Senate Finance Committee Releases First Healthcare Reform Policy Paper

On April 28, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released the first in a series of three healthcare reform policy papers, “Transforming the Health Care Delivery System: Proposals to Improve Patient Care and Reduce Health Care Costs” (the Delivery System Options Paper or Options Paper). The members of the Senate Finance Committee (both Democrats and Republicans) are expected to begin discussion of the Delivery System Options Paper today.

Two other option papers (addressing increasing healthcare coverage and financing healthcare reform) will be released by the Senate Finance Committee in May. The Committee intends to synthesize the options discussed within these three papers into a Chairman’s Mark (the starting point for Committee deliberations) on overall healthcare reform. In addition, the Committee continues to work closely on healthcare reform with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP).

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