And it was written by a certain senator named Max Baucus.

The plan included a national health care exchange, a public option, new consumer protections, universal coverage, an individual mandate, a Medicare buy-in at 55, and subsidies up to 400% of the poverty line, among other progressive measures.

Good golly. Can you imagine? Benen hypothesizes that Senator Kennedy's illness gave Baucus an opening to move closer to the center and abandon his own plan.