opinions myself:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6068091&mesg_id=6068091House Bill Looks Good So Far.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/07/the_house_releases_its_health-.html?hpid=news-col-blog'On first glance, it looks good.'
And finally this:
http://webstar.postbulletin.com/agrinews/335397460497913.bspHouse's health care reform bill contains big changes
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
By Jean Caspers-Simmet
Agri News staff writer
OELWEIN, Iowa -- The U.S. House's draft bill for heath care reform creates shared responsibility among individuals, employers and government to provide all Americans with affordable coverage of essential health benefits, said U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley.
The bill would protect current coverage allowing individuals to keep the insurance they have if they like it and preserve choice of doctors, hospitals and health plans, Braley said during a town hall meeting in Oelwein last week.
It creates a Health Insurance Exchange, a system that allows private and public options to be available for employers and individuals to choose what health insurance options make the most sense for them, Braley said.
The Health Insurance Exchange sets and enforces insurance reforms and consumer protections and administers affordability credits to help low and middle-income individuals and families purchase insurance.
There is a public health insurance option which creates a new choice in many areas of the country which are dominated by just one or two private insurers today.
Insurance firms won't be able to engage in discriminatory practices that enable them to refuse to sell or renew policies today due to an individual's health status, Braley said. They can no longer exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions. The bill prohibits lifetime and annual limits on benefits, and it limits the ability of insurance companies to charge higher rates due to health status, gender or other factors. Premiums can vary based only on age, geography and family size.
Plans offered in the Health Insurance Exchange must provide essential services including hospitalization, outpatient services, physician services, prescription drugs, rehabilitation, mental health and substance abuse, and prevention and wellness programs. There must be dental, vision and hearing for children under 21. A basic plan must have 70 percent of the actuarial value of all these benefits.
The House draft bill provides sliding scale affordability credits to low- and moderate-income individuals and families. It caps annual out-of-pocket spending to prevent bankruptcies from medical expenses, Braley said. Individuals and families with incomes below 133 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible for an expanded and improved Medicaid program, and the expansion will be federally financed.
Senior citizens and people with disabilities will benefit from provisions that fill "the doughnut hole" over time in the Medicare Part D drug program, eliminate cost-sharing for preventive services, improve the low-income subsidy programs in Medicare, fix physician payments and make other program improvements.
Braley has worked on legislation to make sure resources exist to assist senior citizens as they age, keep them healthy and allow them to stay in their homes and communities.
The draft bill modernizes and improves Medicare, improves payment accuracy and eliminates overpayments, prevents waste, fraud and abuse, and simplifies administration.
The House draft bill includes Braley's "plain language" provision that requires insurance documents to be clear, concise, easy-to-read, and follow plain language principles.