Friday, November 06, 2009
Tweet[IWS] CRS: HEALTH REFORM & the 111th CONGRESS [14 October 2009]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Health Reform and the 111th Congress
Hinda Chaikind, Specialist in Health Care Financing
October 14, 2009
http://opencrs.com/document/R40581/2009-10-14/download/1013/
[full-text, 27 pages]
Summary
The health reform debate in the 111th Congress has continued and expanded upon the work begun
in the 110th Congress. On November 12, 2008, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee,
Senator Baucus, released a white paper detailing his principles for health reform. This provided a
framework for work within the committee for the 111th Congress. Several bills were introduced
when the 111th Congress first convened, and these bills focused on a broad spectrum of
approaches to health reform. Most recently, the House and Senate committees of principle
jurisdiction on health reform have been formulating their legislation. On July 15, one of the two
committees with principle jurisdiction in the Senate, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions, ordered reported S. 1679, the Affordable Health Choices Act. In the House, the
principle jurisdiction for health reform is divided among the Committees on Education and Labor,
Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce. Jointly, the committees released for consideration
H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act, on July 14. The Committees on Education
and Labor and Ways and Means each ordered reported, as amended, their versions of H.R. 3200
on July 17. The Committee on Energy and Commerce ordered reported its version of H.R. 3200
on July 31, 2009. The Senate Finance Committee ordered reported the Chairman's mark, as
amended, known as America's Health Future Act of 2009, on October 13.
The health reform bills being considered by the House and Senate committees of principle
jurisdiction focus on simultaneously expanding private and public coverage options. Some of the
other bills introduced in the 111th Congress take a similar approach to health reform. Additionally,
other bills have focused on other solutions, attempting to expand coverage using one of the
following approaches:
Largely replace existing coverage with a national government-provided health
insurance program (or a national health service).
Expand existing public programs for certain individuals.
Expand privately sponsored coverage.
Encourage state-based reforms.
Simultaneously expand private and public coverage options.
This report presents basic background on health insurance that may be useful to legislators
considering health insurance reforms. It describes reform approaches and provides brief
descriptions of health insurance reform bills introduced in the 111th Congress, as well as some of
the general principles currently being considered by the Congress. The potential impact of the
various approaches and bills is not analyzed in this report, however. As a result, it does not
provide evaluations of how well different bills, once enacted, would meet their objectives. This
report will be updated periodically to reflect recent congressional activity in health reform.
Contents
Introduction ...............................................................................................................................1
What Is Health Insurance Reform All About? ........................................................................1
Different Objectives ........................................................................................................2
Prioritizing Among Stakeholders .....................................................................................3
Scope of Reform.............................................................................................................3
General Approaches to Health Insurance Reform.........................................................................5
National Government-Provided Health Insurance Program....................................................5
Expand Existing Public Programs for Certain Individuals......................................................6
Expand Privately Sponsored Coverage ..................................................................................7
Expanding Employer-Based Coverage ............................................................................7
Improving Access to Health Insurance in the Individual Market ......................................8
Market Reforms ............................................................................................................10
Encourage State-Based Reforms..........................................................................................12
Simultaneously Expand Private and Public Coverage Options .............................................13
Health Insurance Reform Bills in the 111th Congress .................................................................14
National Government-Provided Health Insurance Program..................................................14
H.R. 15 .........................................................................................................................14
H.R. 676 .......................................................................................................................15
H.R. 1200/S. 703 ..........................................................................................................15
H.R. 2399 .....................................................................................................................15
Expand Privately Sponsored Coverage ................................................................................16
H.R. 198 .......................................................................................................................16
H.R. 502 .......................................................................................................................16
H.R. 879 .......................................................................................................................16
H.R. 1495 .....................................................................................................................16
S. 1324 .........................................................................................................................16
S. 93 .............................................................................................................................17
S. 207 ...........................................................................................................................17
S. 979/H.R. 2360 ..........................................................................................................17
S. 988 ...........................................................................................................................18
Encourage State-Based Reforms..........................................................................................18
H.R. 956 .......................................................................................................................18
S. 898 ...........................................................................................................................18
Simultaneously Expand Private and Public Coverage Options .............................................19
H.R. 109 .......................................................................................................................19
H.R. 193 .......................................................................................................................19
S. 391 ...........................................................................................................................20
H.R. 1321 .....................................................................................................................20
H.R. 3200 .....................................................................................................................20
H.R. 3400 .....................................................................................................................21
H.R. 3438 .....................................................................................................................21
S. 1679 .........................................................................................................................22
Senate Finance Chairman's Mark, as Amended, America's Healthy Future Act of 2009 ...........22
Contacts
Author Contact Information ......................................................................................................23
Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................23
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Health Reform and the 111th Congress
Hinda Chaikind, Specialist in Health Care Financing
October 14, 2009
http://opencrs.com/document/R40581/2009-10-14/download/1013/
[full-text, 27 pages]
Summary
The health reform debate in the 111th Congress has continued and expanded upon the work begun
in the 110th Congress. On November 12, 2008, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee,
Senator Baucus, released a white paper detailing his principles for health reform. This provided a
framework for work within the committee for the 111th Congress. Several bills were introduced
when the 111th Congress first convened, and these bills focused on a broad spectrum of
approaches to health reform. Most recently, the House and Senate committees of principle
jurisdiction on health reform have been formulating their legislation. On July 15, one of the two
committees with principle jurisdiction in the Senate, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions, ordered reported S. 1679, the Affordable Health Choices Act. In the House, the
principle jurisdiction for health reform is divided among the Committees on Education and Labor,
Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce. Jointly, the committees released for consideration
H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act, on July 14. The Committees on Education
and Labor and Ways and Means each ordered reported, as amended, their versions of H.R. 3200
on July 17. The Committee on Energy and Commerce ordered reported its version of H.R. 3200
on July 31, 2009. The Senate Finance Committee ordered reported the Chairman's mark, as
amended, known as America's Health Future Act of 2009, on October 13.
The health reform bills being considered by the House and Senate committees of principle
jurisdiction focus on simultaneously expanding private and public coverage options. Some of the
other bills introduced in the 111th Congress take a similar approach to health reform. Additionally,
other bills have focused on other solutions, attempting to expand coverage using one of the
following approaches:
Largely replace existing coverage with a national government-provided health
insurance program (or a national health service).
Expand existing public programs for certain individuals.
Expand privately sponsored coverage.
Encourage state-based reforms.
Simultaneously expand private and public coverage options.
This report presents basic background on health insurance that may be useful to legislators
considering health insurance reforms. It describes reform approaches and provides brief
descriptions of health insurance reform bills introduced in the 111th Congress, as well as some of
the general principles currently being considered by the Congress. The potential impact of the
various approaches and bills is not analyzed in this report, however. As a result, it does not
provide evaluations of how well different bills, once enacted, would meet their objectives. This
report will be updated periodically to reflect recent congressional activity in health reform.
Contents
Introduction ...............................................................................................................................1
What Is Health Insurance Reform All About? ........................................................................1
Different Objectives ........................................................................................................2
Prioritizing Among Stakeholders .....................................................................................3
Scope of Reform.............................................................................................................3
General Approaches to Health Insurance Reform.........................................................................5
National Government-Provided Health Insurance Program....................................................5
Expand Existing Public Programs for Certain Individuals......................................................6
Expand Privately Sponsored Coverage ..................................................................................7
Expanding Employer-Based Coverage ............................................................................7
Improving Access to Health Insurance in the Individual Market ......................................8
Market Reforms ............................................................................................................10
Encourage State-Based Reforms..........................................................................................12
Simultaneously Expand Private and Public Coverage Options .............................................13
Health Insurance Reform Bills in the 111th Congress .................................................................14
National Government-Provided Health Insurance Program..................................................14
H.R. 15 .........................................................................................................................14
H.R. 676 .......................................................................................................................15
H.R. 1200/S. 703 ..........................................................................................................15
H.R. 2399 .....................................................................................................................15
Expand Privately Sponsored Coverage ................................................................................16
H.R. 198 .......................................................................................................................16
H.R. 502 .......................................................................................................................16
H.R. 879 .......................................................................................................................16
H.R. 1495 .....................................................................................................................16
S. 1324 .........................................................................................................................16
S. 93 .............................................................................................................................17
S. 207 ...........................................................................................................................17
S. 979/H.R. 2360 ..........................................................................................................17
S. 988 ...........................................................................................................................18
Encourage State-Based Reforms..........................................................................................18
H.R. 956 .......................................................................................................................18
S. 898 ...........................................................................................................................18
Simultaneously Expand Private and Public Coverage Options .............................................19
H.R. 109 .......................................................................................................................19
H.R. 193 .......................................................................................................................19
S. 391 ...........................................................................................................................20
H.R. 1321 .....................................................................................................................20
H.R. 3200 .....................................................................................................................20
H.R. 3400 .....................................................................................................................21
H.R. 3438 .....................................................................................................................21
S. 1679 .........................................................................................................................22
Senate Finance Chairman's Mark, as Amended, America's Healthy Future Act of 2009 ...........22
Contacts
Author Contact Information ......................................................................................................23
Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................23
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 9:34 AM
