NLBMDA News - Democratic Health Care Proposals Unveiled

After months of behind-the-scene work, House and Senate Democratic leaders began to reveal an outline of their health care overhaul plans last week. The issue falls under three committees' jurisdictions in the Senate so they are working together to assemble a bill. The preliminary outlines include provisions such as:

Mandating that every health insurer that offers coverage in a state must accept every employer and every individual in the state regardless of illness or preexisting conditions;
Placing new requirements on the cost of plans, such as requiring insurers to supply reports on how premiums are spent;

Expanding Medicaid by 150%;

Creating a government-run "Affordable Access Plan" that will compete with private plans;
Providing a tax credit for small businesses that provide health care based on a complicated formula to determine the cost and impact; and

Mandates on individuals to purchase health insurance and on employers to provide coverage.
Additionally, new discussions on potentially taxing employer-provided heath insurance for some or all employees is also on the table for discussion as a way to pay for health care reform.

Hearings in the Senate will begin the week of June 22 and leaders hope to complete markups in the Senate Finance, Energy and Commerce and Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committees and marry the bills before the July 4th recess. This seems to be overly ambitious at this point, but that is their goal. Democratic leaders have yet to solicit feedback from the small business community, and NLBMDA and fellow members of the Small Business Health Care Coalition continue to oppose any employer mandate or plan that puts an overwhelming cost on small business owners. Original source.