Health Insurance Reform EasyToInsureME

October 21, 2009

The Week in Health Care Reform

Federal Legislative Overview
Senate
On Tuesday, October 13 the Senate Finance Committee approved Chairman Max Baucus’ amended “America’s Healthy Future Act” by a vote of 14-9. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) was the only Republican who joined all 13 Democrats in supporting the bill. After the vote Snowe stated, “Is this bill all that I want? Far from it. Is it all that it could be? No. But when history calls, history calls. And I happen to think the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress to take every opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to solve the monumental issues of our time.” She went on to say, “My vote today is my vote today, it doesn’t forecast what my vote will be tomorrow,” quelling any predictions for what her vote will be on the Senate floor.

The legislation has now moved to Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) office, who will work hand-in-hand with key Democratic leadership in the Senate, as well as the White House, to craft a single bill. This process will likely take weeks and we do not expect it to reach the Senate floor until November.

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House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) continued to say this week that the merged bill in the House of Representatives will have a “robust” public plan – meaning that provider reimbursement rates will be tied to Medicare. This is the opposite of the agreement made in Henry Waxman’s (D-CA) Energy & Commerce Committee with Blue Dog Democrats, in which payment rates would be negotiated.

Interestingly enough, Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR), the leader of the Blue Dogs’ Health Care Task Force, who was vehemently against a public health insurance option during reform debates in July, came out this week saying that he supported the idea of opening Medicare to those under 65 without insurance. He later backpedalled and said, "I do not endorse this idea, as it was just one of many ideas we, as legislators, have brought up and discussed in the numerous, ongoing negotiations and discussions we have had on healthcare reform over the past several months." Ross has changed his mind numerous times during this debate. After he negotiated the deal in the Energy & Commerce Committee in July he faced significant opposition from conservative constituents during the August recess. He then returned from recess stating that he couldn’t support a public option. Ross’ statements show how difficult the push and pull will be in the upcoming weeks over key provisions in the health care reform bills.