Max Baucus at White House meeting today with President Obama and Senate Democrats (Getty)
When Senate Finance Chairman
Max Baucus laughs, you know President Obama and Congress don’t have their health care plan locked down yet.
This afternoon, Obama met at the White House with Baucus and the other Senate Democrats from the chamber’s two health care panels: Finance and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee. After the meeting, all pledged full speed ahead on health care, and Baucus said the goal was to have a bill on Obama’s desk by October.
But when asked if the president and Senate Democrats had talked about how to pay for it — perhaps the most difficult part of all — the Montana Democrat’s laugh told pretty much everything we need to know.
“There was some discussion of that,” he said. “It’s all on the table, and we’ll figure that out.”
This, of course, is the stage where Obama and Baucus really need to “figure that out.” Because Baucus wants to do exactly what Obama ruled out during his presidential campaign: tax employer-provided health insurance as income, a move that would generate revenue but would also be massively unpopular.
Later, after the senators had stepped away from the TV cameras, Baucus told reporters that Obama had said the proposal to tax employer-sponsored benefits was “something he might consider.”
Something he “might” consider, a reporter asked, or something he “will” consider?
“I’ve forgotten the exact words,” Baucus said, laughing again. “I don’t want to overstate it, so let me just leave it at that.”
Sounds like Baucus didn’t exactly pin Obama down yet. And if they really want to put the health care bill on a fast track, they might want to work that one out sooner rather than later.
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