The Health Care Bills, What They Do and Don't Do

The Congess has labored to produce several health care bills. What will they accomplish? and what will remain to be fixed?

About 45 million people now without insurance will benefit,

by securing access to a set of regulated and government subsidized plans for individuals and small groups though a new insurance exchange or similar entity, but

only in the House Bill (HR 3200) so far, will they have access to a public insurance option designed to foster competition and keep premium prices low,

An estimated 11 million poorer people not currently eligible for Medicaid will benefit from expansions to and added federal funding for that program.

The 159 million people now with employer-based group insurance,

would - in HR 3200 but not in the Senate bills- see the same insurance coverage reforms (like not being denied based on a pre-existing condition) and insurance pricing reforms (like a limit on your annual out-of-pocket expense) that will be available to the uninsured in the health exchange, in their own insurance plans within five years, but

will not have access to a public insurance plan,

Both the uninsured or the currently insured,

will not get any relief against insurers overriding their doctor’s decisions, and

will likely not get any significant insurance premium or out-of pocket expense relief since none of the bills provide a mechanism for finding and controlling cases of excessive health care provider charges.

So you be the judge. Providing coverage for the uninsured is certainly laudable, but it seems there is still a long way to go to get to an affordable, quality system.