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Senate announces $856 billion health care bill without Republican support
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After a year of negotiations, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) revealed his highly anticipated health care reform bill yesterday.
The America’s Healthy Future Act would cost $856 billion over 10 years and does not include the much-debated public option.
“This is a unique moment in history where we can finally reach an objective so many of us have sought for so long,” Baucus stated in a press release. “The Finance Committee has carefully worked through the details of health care reform to ensure this package works for patients, for health care providers and for our economy.”
He called the plan a “balanced, common-sense package” and noted that it does not add to the national deficit.
Although Baucus worked with a tight circle of Republicans and Democrats in an effort to create a bipartisan bill, the proposal has yet to receive Republican support.
“I think that, certainly, by the time the finance committee [votes] on final passage for health care reform, there will be Republican support,” Baucus said during a press conference. The finance committee is expected to vote on the plan next week.
According to the committee, the bill requires that all Americans have health insurance or pay a penalty, and contains exclusions for certain groups. The proposal would also provide health care affordability tax credits for small businesses and middle- and low-income families, but excludes undocumented immigrants from receiving such credits. In addition, the plan would call for the creation of Web-based health insurance exchanges and consumer owned and oriented plans (co-ops).
Similar to other health care reform bills passed in the House, Baucus’s plan would prohibit discrimination by health insurance companies based on pre-existing conditions, broaden the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) program and create an innovation center within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to evaluate new payment models.
The measure also includes provisions to give primary care physicians and some general surgeons a 10% Medicare payment bonus for five years and replaces the 22% Medicare physician payment cut that is scheduled for next year with a positive update.
The American Medical Association (AMA) applauded the plan, but noted that the bill does not order a repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR).
“The AMA will continue to work with Chairman Baucus and his colleagues to strengthen this proposal,” AMA President, J. James Rohack, MD, said in a press release. “The AMA continues to call for permanent repeal of the current Medicare physician payment formula that threatens seniors’ access to care. The House has already recognized the importance of this action by including it in pending legislation.” – by Gina Brockenbrough