This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Talks resume on one House health care bill, but no final vote until September
Four members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition announced yesterday that they reached an agreement with House leadership that will allow the Committee on Energy and Commerce to resume progress on its health care reform bill.
However, the agreement stipulates that the full House will hold off voting on a health care bill until September.
“Today was a significant breakthrough in this health care reform debate,” Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), a committee member and one of the Blue Dog Coalition members involved in the talks, said in a press release. “We were able to slow this process over the next few weeks and make significant improvements that will bring down costs, save rural hospitals and protect small businesses.”
Ross and three other members of the House committee and Blue Dog Coalition presented the following policy changes to leaders of the Committee on Energy and Commerce:
- exempt some small businesses from providing health care to employees;
- ensure that rural hospitals are fairly reimbursed under a public option;
- establish state-based co-ops;
- make the public plan optional with rates negotiated directly with providers; and
- produce a final bill that lowers the cost of health care reform by more than $100 billion.
Prior to the announcement, members of the coalition had raised several concerns about the committee’s bill, including costs of the reform and its potential impact on small businesses.
In a joint statement, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said that the Energy and Commerce Committee will resume mark-up of their bill and pass it this week. In August, the bill will be combined with two other House proposals to create a final bill. The full House will vote on the final bill in September, they said.
In a statement regarding health insurance reform efforts in Congress, President Obama thanked Senate and House members for their work.
“I’m especially grateful that so many members, including some Blue Dogs on the Energy and Commerce Committee, are working so hard to find common ground,” the president said. “Those efforts are extraordinarily constructive in strengthening this legislation and bringing down its cost.”
References: