The Congressional Budget Office has in effect given its stamp of approval to the Senate's proposed version of health care reform legislation, indicating that its cost would not increase federal deficits. The favorable cost analysis of the Finance Committee bill is expected to propel the legislation to a panel review before it is presented to the Senate floor for consideration.

Also this week President Obama held a health insurance reform event with doctors in the Rose Garden at the White House. Organizations represented at the event included the American Medical Association, the National Medical Association, Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians, Doctors for America, American College of Pediatrics, and American College of Cardiology.

"We have now been debating this issue of health insurance reform for months," the President said, going on to state that medical professionals--the doctors and nurses of America--know the health care system best and are most supportive of reform. He also pointed out the medical professionals would not support insurance reform if they determined such reform would lead to government decisions about health care, and if reform would damage the doctor-patient relationship. Obama said the doctors had first-hand knowledge about challenges in the health care system, including out-of-pocket expenses and patients neglecting preventive care because of costs.

President Obama then discussed the reform measures of moving to electronic medical records, which would benefit medical professionals by less paper work and fewer tests, loan forgiveness for primary care physicians who practice in underserved areas, and fixing the Sustainable Growth Rate formula in Medicare.

Meanwhile, in the Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) announced that the amended Chairman's Mark bill has been sent to the Congressional Budget Office for a complete score on the cost of the legislation. "We are offering a fiscally responsible bill that takes good ideas from both sides of the aisle. I have never felt more proud because, tonight, we take another step toward putting this country on a path to a healthy future," the Senator said in a statement to the media.

Baucus expressed approval of a letter authored by 22 state governors and sent to the majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate. In the letter, the governors affirmed their commitment to expanding health coverage to low-income Americans through the Medicaid program.

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