Icon2

Obama’s Health Reform Deadline Brings Mixed But Hopeful Results

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. []

Related Posts Within Doctor Pundit:

  1. Senate Passes Health Reform Bill, Concluding 2009 Session with Historic Party-Line Vote The Senate version of the reform bill passed this morning...
  2. March Brings New Perspectives on Fight for Reform House Speaker Pelosi says she is confident that healthcare reform...
  3. Obama & Dean Laud Senate Health Reform Compromise, Liberal Democrats Fall in Line It is well known by now that the Senate version...

Leave a Reply

Doctor Pundit Featured Video

Via The Uptake: State Reps. Paul Thissen and Tom Huntley announce their plan to access a 90% federal Medicaid match for patients with chronic conditions who receive care via health care homes. (3/25/10)

Doctor Pundit (Mobile Edition)

Yet another great way to receive Doctor Pundit content for the iPhone, iPad, PDA, BlackBerry, or any other mobile device. Get it here.

Doctor Pundit (Kindle Edition)

Doctor Pundit is now on the proprietary Amazon e-reader, the Kindle. Do you own one? Consider getting each and every post delivered wirelessly. Don't miss a single health policy moment. Subscribe to Doctor Pundit on Amazon's Kindle today!

Follow Doctor Pundit Updates (Tweets) Via Twitter

Posting tweet...

HHS Healthy People 2020 Interactive Campaign

Care About a Healthier Nation? We Want Your Input - Developing Healthy People 2020

DP Site Stats At A Glance

SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline