May 29, 2009 2:39PM # The Health Care Battle Begins By [Michael D. Tanner](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-d-tanner) --- SHARE Sen. Edward Kennedy (D‑Mass.) has begun circulating drafts of his proposed health care reform legislation. Initial [reports](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/28/AR2009052803772.html), including an [op-ed](http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/05/28/health_bill_would_fix_whats_broken/) in the *Boston Globe* by Kennedy himself, suggest that the bill will contain every one of the bad ideas that I outlined in my recent [Policy Analysis](https://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa638.pdf) on what to expect from Obamacare. Among other things, the Kennedy bill will call for: - An employer mandate; - An [individual mandate](https://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa565.pdf); - A so-called “Public Option,” a Medicare-like plan that will compete with private insurance; - The use of comparative-effectiveness/cost-effectiveness research to restrain costs; - Subsidies for families earning as much as 500% of the poverty level ($110,250 for a family of four). - Insurance regulation, including guaranteed issue and community rating. (He would also establish a Massachusetts-style Connector); and - Government-directed health IT. There’s no indication yet of how much the plan would cost or how Sen. Kennedy plans to pay for it. The bill will be formally presented to Senator Kennedy’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) sometime next week. Hearings could be held around June 10, and committee “mark up” could begin on June 17. Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D‑Mont.) is expected to introduce *his* health care bill shortly before the Finance committee begins its scheduled mark up on June 10. Meanwhile President Obama’s campaign apparatus is [planning rallies](http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/05/28/obama-to-join-conference-call-with-volunteers-to-rally-on-health-care/) and demonstrations around the country to build support for health care reform. The battle over the future of health care in this country has begun. ##### Related Tags [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).