564 Amendments Await Baucus Bill Next Week

Well, this should zip right along: Members of both parties on the Senate Finance Committee have drafted no fewer than 564 amendments to be considered when the panel takes up chairman Max Baucus' health care bill next week, reports Bloomberg. Expect to hear the phrases "public option"—Democrat Jay Rockefeller is still pushing for it—and "Cadillac plans" a lot.

The latter refers to generous insurance plans—those valued at least $8,000 for individuals and $21,000 for families. Baucus wants to impose a 35% tax on them to bring in $215 billion. That idea isn't popular with labor unions, whose members tend to have such policies, and John Kerry wants to scale it back, notes the Wall Street Journal. Among the big objections on the GOP side: Chuck Grassley hopes to get rid of $13 billion in new fees on the insurance and medical industries. (More Max Baucus stories.)