The Senate is Set to Debate the Health Care Reform Bill

The Health Care Reform Bill won a vote of 60 to 39 on the Senate floor last Saturday night, opening the door for debate on American's health care system. If the Senate manages to pass the bill, a congressional conference committee would have to merge the House and Senates' proposals into one consensus version. At that point, a final approval from both chambers would be needed before it could move on to President Obama's desk to be signed into law.

The Senate debate is expected to last for weeks and won't begin until after Thanksgiving. The Republicans and Democrats seems strongly divided on this issue, Republicans believe that the bill is an unnecessary government takeover of the health care system that would harm the economy and reduce the quality of our health care coverage. Democrats argue that this reform will help millions of Americans that can't get health insurance because of pre-existing conditions or due to the overall cost of coverage.

There are several issues within the bill that are very controversial including federal funding for aboration, a public option plan, a tax increases on individuals who make more than $200,000, and a five percent tax on elective cosmetic surgery. Both the Senate and House bills require individuals to buy health insurance, with penalties for non-compliance. The House version would mandate that all employers to offer health care where the Senate version does not. The two bills are very similar in that both want to include a health insurance exchange, expanded benefits with Medicaid, subsidied insurance for low and middle income families, cap out of pocket medical expenses, and elimination of denials for individuals with pre-existing conditions.

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America's Health Care Reform Sticker Shock

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, new reports indicate that the total cost of the health care bill would be closer to $849 billion over the next 10 years. The bill would extend health care benefits to ninety four percent of the American public. The bill would prohibit illegal immigrants from participating in the health insurance exchange as well as prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortion coverage.

The Health Care Reform bill is going up against its biggest challenge yet. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has to get 60 votes from the 100 member senate to even debate the bill on the Senate floor. It is still unclear whether he will be able to get enough votes to fend off the GOP filibuster attempts. If successful, discussion could start as early as next week.

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Pass The House

Late on Saturday, November 7, The House of Representatives voted 220 to 215 in favor of the Afforable Health Care for America Act, or H.R. 3962. This bill will restict insurance companies from denying coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions or charging higher premiums based on gender and medical history. It also provides federal subsidies to those who cannot afford health insurance. If passed, this bill would guarantee coverage for 96% of American citizens. This is the first step in the largest expansion of health care in the United States since Medicare was created more than 40 years ago. Now the Senate must pass its own version of the health care bill, before it lands on the President's desk to be signed into a law. Once both chambers have passed the bill, a congressional conference committee will merge the two proposals into a consensus version that would require final approval by both chambers and President Obama.