Baucus touts reform to AARP members

By MATT GOURAS, The Associated Press
4:19 p.m. September 1, 2009

HELENA, Mont. — U.S. Sen. Max Baucus is telling AARP members worried that a health care overhaul would hurt their government benefits that Medicare recipients are helped under his plan.

Baucus is leading a Senate panel with Democrats and Republicans working on a bill he feels is better than more liberal offerings out of the House.

In general, he says, they are trying to reduce the cost of health insurance, give tax credits to make sure lower income people can buy it, and lower the overall cost of health care. They propose to pay for it with savings negotiated with the health care industry, cuts in federal spending and a tax on high-cost insurance policies.

Baucus tells almost 10,000 AARP members over a telephone town hall Tuesday that such changes will help make Medicare better too.

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