Health Reform's Tiny Price Hike

Under the Senate’s current bill for health-care reform, experts now say that costs would see an increase of less than 1 percent over the next decade as 34 million more people receive health coverage. The cost could potentially be reduced by proposed measures in the bill, though insiders are skeptical of the viability of some, such as savings plans outlined for Medicare. President Obama discussed the bill in his weekly radio and Internet address, saying the bill would ban “the worst practices of the insurance industry” over time. The president is looking to sign the bill before his upcoming State of the Union address but is still negotiating with Democratic leaders over contested points, such as his proposal to tax high-end insurance plans. The current bill is opposed unanimously by Republican leadership.