Two House committees today approved the Affordable Health Choices Act, a health care reform bill that would expand health insurance to 97% of Americans.
Two House committees today approved the Affordable Health Choices Act, a health care reform bill that would expand health insurance to 97% of Americans.
The Education and Labor Committee approved the bill, HR 3200, by a vote of 26 to 22, while the Ways and Means Committee passed the motion 23 to 18.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted in favor of the bill 13 to 10 earlier this week.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is currently marking up the bill and it is expected to go before the full House of Representatives in the coming weeks.
Provisions of the bill include the establishment of a health insurance exchange for individuals and small employers, so they can shop for the best deals among private and public carriers, and sliding scale affordability credits to help those in low- and middle- income brackets buy coverage. The bill also aims to put a cap on annual out-of-pocket spending to curb bankruptcies from medical costs.
Additionally, the 1,018 page bill would not allow insurers to deny coverage to individuals because of pre-existing conditions or because of an individual's current health status.
Finally, the bill also establishes an independent advisory committee, led by the surgeon general, to recommend a basic benefits package that will be available on the insurance exchange and will eventually become the minimum standard for employer plans.
That package will include preventive services with no cost sharing, mental health services, dental and vision for children, as well as caps on the amount participants spend on covered services each year.
The proposed legislation faces criticism, particularly from Republicans who believe the measures are too costly.
Think tanks and trade associations have chimed in.
“This legislation is going to create a financial and medical nightmare for Americans,” John C. Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis in Dallas, said in a statement.
“This bill has all the bad ideas from previous versions, plus a cost of $1 trillion and no long-term solutions that will control costs or improve quality,” he said.
The bill would undercut the private market and force employers either to buying government-approved coverage for their workers or to pay a tax and send them to the public option, Mr. Goodman opined.
Last week, the Washington-based American Council of Life Insurers criticized the Senate version of the bill, which includes a publicly funded option to help subsidize long term care costs with a minimum daily benefit of $50 after participants pay into the program for at least five years.
“The false sense of security created by $50 per day of inadequate coverage will cause people who can and should plan ahead for their long term care needs not to take appropriate action," ACLI president and chief executive Frank Keating said in a statement.
“We think the momentum is tremendous for a very positive bill that's going to help not only low income people but also the middle class,” said Kathleen Stoll, deputy executive director of Families USA, a Washington-based health care consumer advocacy group.
The Senate version of the bill will be combined with companion legislation from the Senate Finance Committee before it goes to the full Senate for a vote.
