August 1 is officially here; and, as expected, Obama’s original mandate for a House and Senate vote on reform legislation will not occur today. But what is unexpected is the apparent consensus by the members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee on a couple of key provisions that apparently all but five Democrats (those who voted with the Republicans) agreed upon: reform of the insurance market and expansion of subsidies to help the poor access care.^[1] That apparently was the hard part.

The harder part will occur in about five weeks, when three House committees start to hammer out a consensus bill to bring to the floor for a vote. The Senate, on the other hand, appears to be dragging its heels on the road to an overarching version of the bill. The House action represents a hollow victory of sorts for Obama, who can take consolation that a bill on health reform will be passed — avoiding any repeat of Hillarycare some 15 years earlier.

Among the possible areas for consensus building over the next six weeks: Medicare reimbursements^[2] based upon value, not quantity; strong support for ironclad employer-sponsored coverage schemes^[3]; and the elimination of copays for preventive care. | LINK

1. Most employers would have to provide insurance or contribute to the cost of coverage for employees, with exceptions for some small businesses. [↩]
2. Lawmakers also agree on proposals to squeeze hundreds of billions of dollars out of Medicare by reducing the growth of payments to hospitals and many other health care providers.  [↩]
3. Most employers would have to provide insurance or contribute to the cost of coverage for employees, with exceptions for some small businesses. [↩]

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