Senators quietly working on bipartisan universal coverage plan

A group of 16 Senators -- eight Democrats and eight Republicans --  have been working quietly for the past two years to craft legislation to enact universal coverage (Source: “Can 16 senators solve the health care crisis?” MSNBC.com, Sept. 22, 2008).

In what the co-sponsors Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Robert Bennet, R-Utah, call a “philosophical truce,” the bill includes a coverage mandate, an idea long fought by Republicans, and a larger role for private insurers, something Democrats have consistently opposed. While Medicare would remain intact under the plan, the bill calls for the elimination of SCHIP and Medicaid.

Among the many obstacles facing the bill are a provision that all insurance be purchased by individuals directly from government-regulated private insurers. That means all  Americans who have health insurance -- most of them through their employer -- would have to change their plan.

Another concern with eliminating employers from the process is that individuals would be left on their own to choose plans and negotiate rates and would not have the benefit of a pooling mechanism to reduce costs.

The sponsors of the bill say they know there is still much to be worked out and their hope is that the legislation can be used as a framework for whomever wins the presidential election in November. "This thing isn't written in concrete," Wyden said. "We think we've got a good start here. We think we've got something to work with."