What to Look For in the Latest House Health Care Bill
Robert Moffit /
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just unveiled a hulking 1,990 page House health care bill (H.R. 3962). The latest product, which dwarfs the 1,342 page Clinton Health Plan of 1993, is the latest evolution of the House process, which started with H.R. 3200. The House Speaker made a number of general comments, saying that the legislation would lower costs for American families, enhance the solvency of the Medicare program, and add 36 million Americans to the health insurance rolls.
On the crucial question of financing, the Speaker made a point of saying that the bill is fiscally responsible and comes in under the $900 billion target set by President Obama, and would not expand the deficit. Of course, the Congressional Budget Office has not yet issued a formal “score”- or estimate- of the final product. So, it is hard to determine how, or if, the legislation would bend the health care cost curve downward, as President Obama has promised as a key ingredient in health care reform.
The House Speaker and the rest of the Congressional leadership want to fast track the legislation, and get it up on the floor for a vote as early as next week, if possible. Meanwhile, health policy analysts, economists, Congress watchers and ordinary citizens, will have limited time to examine the bill and make their own judgments. Taxpayers need to do their part. Here are some suggestions:
1. Check the Details for Yourself. The bill is now posted. You can find it at fixhealthcarepolicy.com. Congressional leaders were literally working on this bill late into the night before unveiling it this morning. (more…)