Key Health Reform Mark-Up Scheduled For Next Week
The Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee released an early version (PDF) of their health reform legislation today, which, as I noted before, is silent on the crucial questions of the employer mandate and a public health insurance option.
All that, though, will be settled in the coming days and, by the end of the week or early next week the finalized version of the proposal will be released, public option and all. The committee released today's language in order to meet a deadline: next Tuesday, the legislation will be marked up and today's announcement fulfills a commitment to release the language a week in advance.
Earlier today, the committee released a summary that was oddly mum about the public option.
An important foundation of The Affordable Health Choices Act is the following principle: If you like the coverage you have now, you keep it. But if you don't have health insurance or don't like the insurance you have, our bill will give you new, more affordable options.
But early reports and leaks indicate that it will include robust language, and all indications suggest that the HELP bill will propose broader reform than the Finance Committee's bill, expected to be unveiled in the next couple weeks. And it's worth pointing out that by releasing the most progressive language later rather than sooner, liberals and reformers won't have to spend the next week fending off attacks on the bill in advance of the mark-up.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
So we've gone from a commitment to universal healthcare to "new more affordable options". I can't put into words how inspiring that is. Kind of reminds me of the lead up to the New Coke.
June 9, 2009 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
The New Coke was never forced down our throats. This bill will almost certainly force every last one of us to pay an insurance company for health insurance. That, I suppose, is what makes it "universal".
I'm pretty busy now. I'm working on the language of a bill I want my representative to introduce that will require everyone to buy a ______ from me. (I will fill in the blank as soon as I decide what I want to make.) This is called Obama Capitalism. (Please don't jump me on that - mandatory coverage was part of Obama's proposal during the campaign.)
June 9, 2009 10:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree with Sen. Sanders, "We must end the private insurance company domination of health care in our country and move toward a publicly-funded, single-payer Medicare for All approach."
Too many people are going bankrupt because of medical costs. Too many are not covered including two of our three grown children. Too much money is going to administer the current wasteful, ineffective system. Too many in Congress and Senate are influenced by campaign contributions from insurance and drug companies.
We need comprehensive reform, not half-baked compromise which maintains the status quo.
June 10, 2009 9:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Right on, ivy. All these "socialism scare-mongers" have no problem ignoring the fact that 35% of what we pay for health care is profit going into the pockets of insurance companies. God forbid letting the government get involved in order to cut into the ridiculous profits these fatcats get without providing any health-care service.
June 10, 2009 10:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Compare what's being proposed to the postal system. People ridicule the US Postal Service, but the fact is it has improved since independent competition was opened up. You are not obligated to use the "socialist" government postal service, even though it costs less than independent services.
June 10, 2009 10:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
I love the UPS. They are our friends. You can send anything anywhere in the world and it gets there. No questions asked.
August 27, 2009 11:58 PM | Reply | Permalink