Senate Chairman Says Health Care Bill Is Coming

By CARL HULSE and ROBERT PEAR
NYT

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee told colleagues on Friday that he would soon lay down a proposal for a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system.

The chairman, Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, signaled his intentions in a telephone conference call with five other committee members who have been struggling for months to forge a bipartisan bill, according to an official familiar with the call.

The official said Mr. Baucus had told the group that he was going to present some sort of formal chairman’s mark, or proposal, as early as Saturday. In doing so, he would taking a big step toward forcing a final decision by the group as to whether it sees any realistic prospect of a bipartisan agreement.

“I am committed to getting health care reform done — done soon and done right,” Mr. Baucus said in a statement.

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