Industry Loves Baucus Bill

Max Baucus may have failed to win over any Republicans over after months of trying, but he did succeed in pleasing one group he was catering to: the health-insurance industry. Industry player who already struck deals with President Obama and Democrats “saw most of those deals left intact—and in some cases sweetened” according to the Associated Press. Mandates will expand their customer bases greatly and they won’t have to compete with a government plan. The non-profit co-ops won’t threaten their business, and Baucus lessened the hit companies will take to payments they get for offering private plans under Medicaid by over $50 billion. “Privately, industry lobbyists acknowledged that the plan is far more to their liking than any of the other measures currently under discussion,” according to the AP. On Wednesday, health insurance stocks jumped.