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A plan to reform health-care is going to cost a lot of money and Congress is working to figure out where it’s going to come from.

Chairman Max Baucus of the Senate Finance Committee says he has crafted a new set of policy options that will allow the plan to be be fully paid for and that will meet the cost goal of $1 trillion over 10 years, the WSJ and New York Times report.

Details from Baucus, however, were scant. Senate aids say the plan is likely to include reducing a tax credit to small businesses for providing health insurance for employees and delaying the expansion of Medicaid, according to the WSJ. The NYT says the bill will likely call for a new tax on employer-provided health benefits and a mandate for employers to help pay some health insurance costs for low-income workers, as well as reductions in Medicare payments.

President Obama has some other ideas for how to pay for the plan that aren’t popular with Congress, the NYT notes in a separate piece. Among them: limiting tax deductions for wealthier Americans, taxing employee health benefits and reducing Medicare spending by having insurers bid for rights to offer Medicare Advantage plans to seniors.

When the Baucus package would be unveiled isn’t clear. “We’re ready when we’re ready,” Baucus told the WSJ.

Photo: Associated Press

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Baucus Says $1 Trillion Health-Reform Overhaul Is Possible