Looks like Senator Max Baucus (pictured) isn’t waiting until the new legislative year to start talking universal healthcare.

It ain’t single-payer, but it is something. And Mr. Nobel Prize in Economics is happy, which is always a good sign. I’ll leave it to others to talk about the policy specifics–or, if you prefer, you can just read the proposal itself–but I’ll be satisfied with any plan that can guarantee universal coverage.

As for how it looks politically, Kevin Drum gives this an 80% chance of passing in some form by next year, saying:

Bottom line: Republicans will almost certainly try to filibuster whatever the final product turns out to be, but they’re going to have a hard time making it stick. Unlike 1994, Baucus, Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, and the president are roughly on the same page, the liberal interest groups are interested in getting something done, not bickering, and even the business community is finally coming around to the need for dramatic action.

Sounds about right. My guess is that if the GOP tries to put up too much of a fight against this, they’re going to get brutalized in the polls.