Understanding the Health Care Reform Bill

Published: Wed 18 Nov 2009

Thomas Kristoffersen - Staff Writer

On Saturday, House Democrats and a lone Republican passed a health care reform bill backed by President Obama. The bill will now move on to the Senate, who will create their own version of the bill on which Congress as a whole must vote before President Obama can sign it into law. The health care reform bill, officially known as H.R.3200 or America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, may become law by the end of this year if Congress adheres to President Obama's timetable.

The Basics

Originally sponsored by Rep. John Dingell (D., Mich.), the bill has received the endorsement of Nancy Pelosi and most other powerful Democrats. H.R.3200 is a whopping 1900 pages long and has an estimated cost of $1.1 trillion. The bill's primary purpose is to expand health care coverage to meet the medical needs of the 40 million uninsured in the U.S. and to reduce the burden of health care costs on the American people. Advocates of the bill claim that it will reduce medical expenses and make the healthcare system as a whole more efficient.

Provisions

A summary of the provisions included in America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 is provided below.

• Calls for the creation of a public option, or government-run health insurance, to compete with the coverage offered by private insurers
• Requires all Americans to have health insurance. Americans who live above the poverty line must buy their own coverage.
• Prohibits the denial of health insurance coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions.
• Requires many employers to provide health insurance coverage to employees.
• Places a surtax on households that earn more than $350,000 annually to pay for the expenses.

Amendments

Last Saturday when the House passed the bill, it did so only after including a last-minute amendment that prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions. Called the Hyde Amendment, the exception prevents the distribution of federal funding for abortions in government-run or government-subsidized health programs except when the abortion is performed in instances of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. The abortion amendment passed in the House with a vote of 220-194.

Future

Although the approval of the bill in the House was a major victory for Democrats, many are less optimistic about the bill's chances in the Senate. Many moderate Democrats oppose the House's version of the bill because of its inclusion of a public option, or government-run health insurance. Other Democrats oppose the bill because it prohibits federal funding for abortions in government-related health programs. If the bill makes it out of the Senate, it is likely to emerge sans a public option and generally much more moderate.