As Democrats move to reconcile the Senate Finance bill with the far more progressive HELP legislation , some are hoping to attract the vote of so-called moderate Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). This morning, during an appearance on Fox Friends, Collins laid out her objections to the Senate Finance legislation. “I have a lot of concerns about the Baucus bill,” she began: - Better affordability measures: “I think it could very well drive up the costs of insurance for middle income famili

Kaiser Health News staff writers Eric Pianin and Mary Agnes Carey report on yesterday's Senate Finance Committee action.

A Health Reform Debate Set to Change Its Tune - washingtonindependent.com 10/13/2009 Until now, the Senate’s health reform debate has been largely partisan, with Republicans blasting the various reform bills as a step toward socialized medicine, and Democrats, despite some criticism, firing back that the GOP is merely protecting the insurance industry at the expense of patients. Ideologically driven arguments, both. And the committee votes have reflected those predictable divisions.

Senate Finance Committee members Tuesday are preparing to cast their votes on health reform, with some offering predictions on the final outcome.

The 36th legislative delegation - Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles , Reps. Mary Lou Dickerson and Reuven Carlyle - will host a town hall at the end of the month with the chair of the Senate Health Long-Term Care Committee, Sen. Karen Keiser , and the chair of the House Health Care Wellness Committee, Rep. Eileen Cody . The meeting will address current issues surrounding the health care debate, and Keiser and Cody will discuss the potential impact of federal health reform efforts on W