U.S. Senate Majority Leader Releases Health Care Bill

This week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unveiled a health reform package aimed at appealing to Democratic centrists on a number of fronts, including the overall cost of the bill, cost-containment provisions, and a public plan more limited than the House version. Senator Reid’s short-term goal is to clear a 60-vote procedural hurdle that will allow the debate on health reform legislation to begin on the Senate floor before the Thanksgiving recess. That vote is expected tomorrow.

The $849 billion bill reportedly would reduce the federal deficit by $127 billion over ten years and expand insurance coverage to 94% of all Americans, up to 31 million additional people, by 2019. In comparison, the House-passed bill would cover 96%, up to 36 million additional people.

HANYS’ advocacy on Capitol Hill continues to be guided by the positions developed and adopted by HANYS’ Board of Trustees and communicated to the New York State Congressional Delegation in early October. HANYS is concerned that the Senate bill falls short of the coverage expansion levels projected in the House-passed bill and the 97% coverage level agreed to by the national hospital associations. Despite the low coverage levels, the level of Medicare and Medicaid provider cuts has not been reduced. The American Hospital Association (AHA) has expressed deep disappointment over the low coverage levels, and HANYS will join AHA in working with senators to expand coverage and reduce the level of cuts.

HANYS’ summary of the bill is available online. Contact: Kevin Krawiecki