Saturday, April 04, 2009

McCaskill Backs Baucus Healthcare Model


Sen. Claire McCaskill said she backs the outline of a federal healthcare plan that would require employers to provide health insurance to their employees or pay into a pool.

That model, championed by Sen. Max Baucus, is widely seen as the approach that will be championed by the Democratic Congress this summer.

"I think that the Baucus plan is a great starting point," McCaskill said during a media availability in her downtown Springfield office Saturday afternoon.

Baucus' proposal would also allow a Medicare-like government plan to compete with private ones. McCaskill said that's a good idea.

HAS NOT made up her mind on reconciliation -- whether she would vote "Yes" or "No" on healthcare if the Democrats used a controversial procedure that only required them to get 51 votes to win passage.

*WATCH FULL Q & A On HEALTHCARE ABOVE*

Also: McCaskill Defends the $3.5 Trillion Dollar Budget
Says It Helps "Keep Our Word" to Veterans with a $5.5 Billion Dollar Increase
Notes Billions for Foreign Aid Were Taken Out

"If you take the increase in veterans spending out of the budget and the one-time budget item on the Census, we spent less money this year on domestic discretionary spending than we did last year," McCaskill said. "This was not a runaway budget. This was a lean budget."

McCaskill spent more than 30 minutes with reporters answering questions on everything from the budget, the stimulus package, North Korea, gay marriage and Twittering.

***Walking out . . . Surveys Reporters About Whether Sarah Steelman Will Run For U.S. Senate***

Most vote "NO."


*WATCH PLAYFUL CLIP BELOW*

MCCASKILL ENDORSES GOP PRIMARY?
"I always like a woman who's brave enough to take on the party structure."

1 comment:

sunnyboy31309 said...

Only a Democrat could say a $3.5 Trillion Dollar Budget is LEAN! What a crock. I thought we were supposed to get a "CHANGE" from the last 8 years. I, as a conservative, was sickened by Bush and his spending policies. How is this any different???