Team effort in the House to overhaul healthcare

Three powerful House committee chairmen have agreed to work together on legislation to overhaul the healthcare system, starting with the view that most employers should help finance coverage and that the government should offer a public health insurance plan as an alternative to private insurance. The three chairmen, George Miller and Henry A. Waxman of California and Charles B. Rangel of New York, all Democrats, have a combined total of more than 100 years of service in the House. The unified approach contrasts with the competition and rivalry among committee chairmen that helped sink President Bill Clinton's plan for universal health insurance.