More than 100 House Democrats have participated in a conference call to discuss the gaps between the House's and Senate's health reform bills. After Senate Democrats were barely able to register the 60 votes necessary to pass that chamber's bill, House Democrats are concerned about the prospects for their bill.
President Obama appears to be favoring the Senate's version on some key issues, particularly the so-calledCadillac tax on high-cost health plans, which the President says he wants to preserve. The proposed tax has been ravaged by labor unions, whose members could be exposed to it. Proponents of the tax assert it will put consumers in the individual market on more equal footing with those who receive coverage through their employers and that it would bring down costs over time.
Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry A. Waxman expressed his support of a national insurance exchange (in the House bill), preferring it over exchanges administered by the states. Other issues discussed included the public option, abortion funding, immigration and employer mandates and the antitrust exemption for health insurance companies.
Despite the conflicts present in the two bills, Democratic leaders remain optimistic that eventually agreement will be reached. First and foremost, Democrats in both chambers hope to achieve the "triple A" of health care: access, affordability and accountability for insurance companies.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.