House Energy and Commerce Committee Votes on Health Care Reform
July 27, 2009
The day before the House of Representatives adjourned for a month long recess (July 31 through September 8), the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed its version of the “American Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009” (H.R. 3200), which makes this the third House committee to pass its own version of the bill – following the House’s Education and Labor Ways and Means Committees who passed their versions July 17.
The legislation passed with a narrow margin due to many Democratic liberals opposing a deal that was cut with moderate-to-conservative Blue Dog Democrats.
The deal included both sides agreeing to the following:
Payments in the proposed public plan option should be based on negotiated rates rather than on the Medicare fee schedule.
States should be given the option to establish health insurance co-ops in addition to a public plan – essentially giving them the opportunity to establish their own state-based health insurance exchanges.
Additional language emphasizes that participation in the public plan would be optional for physicians.
Over the recess, House leadership plans to combine all three committee’s bills before bringing it to a vote on the floor after the recess.
