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News Details (Posted: July 28, 2009):
Health Care Reform - UPDATE
Full Description:
Senate HELP Committee Passes Health Reform Bill, Finance Committee Delays Bill Introduction
On a 13 to 10 party line vote on July 15th, Senate Democrats on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee passed their health reform bill, the “Affordable Health Choices Act.” Since the first draft of the bill released in early June, changes were made to reduce the cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) by roughly $400 billion.
The CBO estimates that the health reform bill that passed the HELP Committee would cost $615 billion over ten years and that 20 million of the 46 million uninsured would gain coverage. The cost of the HELP bill excludes changes to the Medicare and Medicaid programs as only the Finance Committee in the Senate has jurisdiction over these programs.
The main drivers of the decrease in the cost estimate for the HELP bill include a reduction in the eligibility for and level of premium subsidies for individuals and families and the addition of an employer mandate and penalty.
Some of the other major changes to the bill include: details for a public or “community” plan in each state Gateway or Exchange to be administered by a non-profit entity with provider rates negotiated by the Department of Health and Human Services,
a limitation on group participation in the Gateway or Exchange to employers with less than 50 employees,
the ability of states to add benefits to the federal minimum benefit set, and
changes to market rules to allow rating for tobacco use and increased premium discounts of 30% to 50% (as opposed to 20% currently under HIPAA) for wellness and healthy behavior.
Before it is voted on by the full Senate, the HELP Committee bill will need to be reconciled with the bill that the Senate Finance Committee passes, which has yet to be introduced. The Finance Committee has delayed its bill introduction to reconsider a few key issues including a public plan option and whether to tax employer-provided benefits.
