OpenCongress Summary of healthcare bill
This is the big health care reform bill in the House of Representatives that will be debated and voted on during the week of November 2nd. It is the final, reconciled version of the health care bill that was amended by three House committees over the summer. Broadly, it seeks to expand health care coverage to the approximately 40 million Americans who are currently uninsured by lowering the cost of health care and making the system more efficient. To that end, it includes a new government-run insurance plan (a.k.a. a public option) to compete with the private companies, a requirement that all Americans have health insurance, a ban on denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition and, to pay for it all, a surtax on individuals with incomes above $500,000.
Wiki Summary
Offical Summary - The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) is the final, merged version of the health care reform legislation that the House has been working on for much of 2009. The bill contains a moderate compromise on the public option by requiring the HHS Secretary to negotiate provider reimbursement rates rather than having them tied to Medicare. The bill also would require all individuals to have insurance, establish a new health insurance exchange, require most employers to provide insurance, ban insurance companies from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions and more.
