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By Madelyn Jarrett

Story Published: Nov 19, 2008 at 10:41 PM MDT

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 7:59 AM MDT

BILLINGS - Senator Max Baucus says reforming the nation's healthcare system is a key to fixing the U.S. economy.

Baucus held a hearing Wednesday on his healthcare plan, which he released last week. His priorities include universal coverage and improving the quality of care available.

"The key challenges of our health care system are high costs, low quality and insufficient access. Those challenges have a direct effect on family budgets. They have a direct effect on American businesses and their ability to compete. They have a direct effect on government spending." Says Baucus.

Baucus says the healthcare debate is not a distraction from the economic crisis. He says reforming the system must be part of any successful recovery package.

Thursday, Nov 20 at 10:04 PM James Hovland wrote ...

All we need is a simple system to hold our money until we need care. Our democracy is very flexible and it provides us with the ability to create such a system, but the concept of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, does not work without the people. I support HR 676 single payer health care, the bill has a lot of co-sponsors. But Max Baucus believes that it doesn't have enough support, so he proposes a mandate instead. Write to Max, and let him know what you think.

Thursday, Nov 20 at 9:59 PM James Hovland wrote ...

The only useful service the insurance companies provide is a place to hold our money until we need care. The other services they provide outweigh that single useful one a hundred fold. Our money is being used to pay lawyers to deny our claims, staff to reject new applicants that may not be profitable to insure. We pay for the lobbyists that compete for our representation in congress. We pay for management positions for people who have proven their ability to provide us with the least amount.

Thursday, Nov 20 at 9:58 PM James Hovland wrote ...

The premise behind this mandate is that having everyone in the pool will lower individual costs. This makes sense, but it makes even more sense to have everyone in the same pool rather than spread out among all the private for-profit pools. Keep focused on the goal of lowering costs because one of the easiest targets here is the "profit". We need to stop wasting our health care dollars on private jets for another over-paid CEO.

Thursday, Nov 20 at 9:56 PM James Hovland wrote ...

When a bunch of companies get together and say: "Yes, we'll let you pass these laws, as long as you force all the people to pay us", that's extortion. When Congress agrees to it, that's corruption!

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