Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) released a report detailing options to expand health insurance to those without it. You can read the report here.
NOTE: These are options. They are not proposed legislation in a bill coming out of Baucus' and Grassley's Senate Finance Committee.
A summary of the report says: "Proposals included in this document would ensure that the insurance market functions effectively. Reforms proposed for the individual and small group markets would ensure a competitive insurance market in which plans compete on price and quality rather than on their ability to segment risk and discriminate against individuals with pre-existing health conditions. Proposals contemplated in this document would also make purchasing health insurance coverage easier and more understandable by establishing a gateway or marketplace where American consumers could easily compare and purchase the coverage that best fits their needs.
"To ensure that coverage is affordable, this document outlines a proposal for targeted tax credits for low-income individuals and small businesses. And for the most vulnerable populations, policy options described here would improve public programs by covering those at the lowest end of the income scale who are least likely to have private coverage through an employer."
Baucus says: "These policy options propose a uniquely American approach to provide affordable, quality coverage to all Americans through a mix of public and private solutions, and drive down health care costs for every American.
Grassley says: "Millions of Americans have no health insurance and millions more fear losing what they have. Even people with insurance might be under-insured. Congress has an obligation to make insurance more available and more affordable and still give people the option to keep what they have if they like it."