Welcome Back, Congress

The U.S. Congress returns to session today to resume the debate over health care reform after a busy August recess that was marked by contentious town hall debates across the country.  It will be interesting to see what sort of direction the legislative proposals take.

Over the weekend, Senator Max Baucus circulated a draft of the long-awaited plan from the Senate Finance Committee. While the Committee’s proposal omits a public insurance option, it expands Medicaid coverage to millions of Americans who are currently ineligible an proposes insurance options offered by non-profit co-operatives. Many people are expecting to hear significant detail from President Obama, including whether or not he will support legislation that doesn’t include a public option, when he addresses a joint session of Congress tomorrow evening.

With the House of Representatives tentatively scheduled to recess for the year at the end of October, the time table leaves me to wonder what legislation will land on the President’s desk to be signed. As I’ve said many times before, our current health care system is in bad need of repair, and it starts with health insurance coverage for all.  There is no shortage of common-sense reforms that everyone agrees can significantly improve patient care and reduce health care expenses. Here’s hoping that President Obama and our Congressional leadership can find a way to build bipartisan support for those measures that we know will have an immediate, positive impact on patient care and our nation’s bottom line.