Sen. Max Baucus: Health Reform Savings Are Not 'Illusory'

On the day his health care bill finally emerges from the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) makes the case for health reform in the opinion page of the Wall Street Journal. Writing that "the status quo is no longer an option" for the U.S. health care system, Baucus defends his bill from "misinformation," especially with regard to its costs and impact on the federal deficit.

"For starters, our plan pays for every cent of new spending without using additional tax dollars," Baucus writes. "Our plan would lower costs and would not add to the federal deficit. In fact, it would begin reducing the federal deficit within 10 years by containing costs through industry reforms. These reforms would focus on preventing diseases before they become costly to treat and paying health-care providers for the quality of care they deliver not the number of tests they order."

Many supporters of health care reform, including most of the nation's major newspapers, have complained that the Democrats' plans for cutting costs are naive and unrealistic. Last week, the Wall Street Journal called the very savings Baucus defends "illusory." But Baucus dismisses these doubters, writing that his bill will "put America back on a path toward fiscal sustainability."

The Senate is Ready to Act on Health Care [Wall Street Journal]