
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, August 2, 1994                   TAG: 9408020106
SECTION: NATL/INTL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                 LENGTH: Medium

MITCHELL CRAFTING BILL TO PLEASE MAJORITY

Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell labored over the details of his eagerly awaited health reform plan Monday and said ``those who don't want change'' had waged an expensive effort to torpedo the top item on President Clinton's agenda.

After meeting with Clinton, Mitchell said the legislation he will unveil today eventually would provide ``insurance for all Americans.'' He predicted the Democratic-controlled Congress will approve a health reform bill this year, despite vast differences between his measure and the one outlined Friday by House Democratic leaders.

Votes are expected in both houses of Congress over the next two to three weeks on health reform, climaxing one of the most fiercely fought battles in recent memory.

Mitchell has been working for weeks to craft legislation that can satisfy Clinton's demand for universal coverage and still win majority support in the Senate.

Mitchell's bill is expected to rely on insurance reforms and subsidies for low-income pregnant women, children, people between jobs, small businesses and perhaps others in an attempt to spread coverage. He's expected to hold mandatory employer requirements in reserve until 2001, and employ them only if coverage hasn't reached 95 percent of the population.

Even then, businesses and employees would be called on to split the cost of insurance 50-50, and small businesses would be exempt. States where 95 percent coverage had been reached would be exempt.

There were signs that Mitchell's careful work was paying dividends.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., a strong supporter of Clinton's original bill, told reporters he was comfortable with the majority leader's approach.

Mitchell's task is to hold the liberals like Rockefeller in line while attracting enough moderate and conservative Democrats to amass a majority.

One moderate, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., who helped craft a Finance Committee bill that shuns mandatory employer contributions, said Mitchell's approach was ``entirely reasonable.'' Another Finance Committee moderate Democrat, Sen. David Boren of Oklahoma, expressed opposition, while a third, John Breaux of Louisiana, said, ``it has to be improved.''

by CNB