Health Reform in the House | Fact of the Day Health insurance reform will bring health insurance coverage to 32 million more Americans, and end pre-existing condition exclusions, caps on lifetime and annual benefits, co-pays for preventive services, and make health insurance affordable for small business owners by giving tax credits and access to large group coverage. | | Follow Health Insurance Reform
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At the Time This Daily Dose Was Sent, Insured Americans Had Paid a “Hidden Tax” of $52,724,548,094 since January 1, 2009 in Additional Premium Costs to Cover Care for the Uninsured. Under the Microscope Today the U.S. House of Representatives convened at 1:00 p.m. to begin consideration of health insurance reform legislation HOUSE EXPECTED TO PASS BIGGEST DEFICIT REDUCTION LEGISLATION SINCE CLINTON The health insurance reform legislation being considered on the House Floor today will reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the first ten years (2010-2019) according to the official non-partisan scorer, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). CBO also said that the deficit would be lowered by over $1 trillion over the second ten years (2020-2029) and Medicare solvency will be extended by at least 9 years. Further, history tells us that reform legislation will likely mean greater deficit reduction than CBO predicted. To find out how the legislation reduces the deficit while ensuring greater access to care, read this letter from over 40 leading economists, and the latest blog post from White House Budget Director, Peter Orszag. IMMEDIATE BENEFITS THIS YEAR There are so many benefits for Americans in this legislation that would kick in this year, that we don’t have room to list them all. Below is a sampling but all 18 immediate benefits are online along with other fact sheets on the Majority Leader’s clearinghouse. - Small business tax credits
- Immediate $250 rebate for seniors who fall in the Medicare prescription drug donut hole; next year 50 percent discount on brand name drugs for seniors in the donut hole
- Free preventive care under new private plans right away, and under Medicare, starting Jan. 1, 2011
- Increased investment in primary care doctors
Effective 6 months after legislation is signed into law: - Extends the option for parents to have their children covered under their insurance plan, until a child’s 26th birthday
- Bans lifetime limits on coverage
- Ends rescissions of health insurance
- Tightens restrictions on use of annual limits; bans annual limits completely starting in 2014
- Creates a temporary reinsurance program for early retirees
Health Care Headlines House Clears Path For Health Care Vote
The House on Sunday took the most critical step yet toward adoption of legislation to overhaul the nation’s health care system and guarantee access to medical insurance for tens of millions of Americans, all but assuring a hard-fought but politically risky victory for President Obama and his party.
[New York Times, 3/21/2010] Read the pending Executive Order. House Leaders Express Confidence They Will Secure Enough Votes To Pass Health Bill
House Democratic leaders scrambled Sunday morning to round up the remaining votes to put President Obama's health-care overhaul over the top later in the day as discussions continued on a deal to assuage some Democrats' concerns over abortion funding. [Washington Post, 3/21/2010] Obama Switches Strategies on Health Care; Selling Law to Public After It Passes
For more than a year, President Obama has tailored his rhetoric on health care to focus on the passage of sweeping legislation. In each of his 54 speeches on the subject, the goal has always been the same: getting a bill to his desk. [Washington Post, 3/21/2010] Vote on Health Bill Today Caps a Journey Back From the Brink
Speaker Nancy Pelosi was at her wits’ end, and she let President Obama know it.
[New York Times, 3/21/2010] A History of Overhauling Health Care
For almost a century, presidents and members of Congress have tried and failed to provide universal health benefits to Americans. The cost of health care has increased; in 2008, one in six dollars was spent on health care, and an estimated 46 million people were without coverage. [New York Times, 3/21/2010] EDITORIAL: Health-Care Reform a Bitter Pill to Swallow, But It Will Work In Long Run
Consider it the political equivalent of cod liver oil: Hold your nose and swallow. Soon it will be good for you. [The Republican (MA), 3/21/2010] OPINION: Is Any Illness Covered?
By Nicholas D. Kristof
Health care is etched on my mind these days not only because of the Capitol Cacophony but also because a husband and wife I know, my former neighbors, are undergoing the kind of heartbreak no family should endure. [New York Times, 3/21/2010] OPINION: Procedural Maneuvering and Public Opinion
By Adam Nagourney
You could forgive Americans for being a little confused. At a moment when Congress is engaged in a crucial debate about overhauling the health care system, the talk from Washington is about self-executing rules, deem and pass, reconciliation, the Slaughter Rule, preliminary C.B.O. scores, final C.B.O. scores — not to mention filibusters, cloture votes, the Byrd Bath and supermajorities. [New York Times, 3/21/2010] | 