Wyden Health Care Bill Gains Support In Senate

HEALTH 

By Kristian Foden-Vencil

Portland, OR  October 2, 2007 1:14 p.m.

The ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, Chuck Grassley, signed onto Oregon Senator Ron Wyden’s health care legislation Tuesday. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.

The Iowa Republican joins nine other senators from both parties, who’ve now endorsed Wyden’s legislation.

That gives him the backing of 10 percent of the Senate. While presidential hopefuls, from Hillary Clinton to Mitt Romney, are rolling out their own health care plans, Wyden says his is the only one that is an actual piece of legislation, rather than collection of ideas.

Ron Wyden: “This is the first bipartisan effort to fix American health care in more than 13 years. It’s built around the proposition that Democrats have been correct in terms of saying to fix health care, you have to cover everybody.”

The Healthy Americans Act is awaiting action by the Finance Committee. Three members, including Wyden, have now endorsed his bill.

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