Senate HELP Committee Releases Health Reform Bill

Press Release: Today the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) took an important step towards that goal when it released its latest version of health care reform legislation.

“We must not settle for legislation that merely gestures at reform. We must deliver on the promise of true change.” – Chairman Ted Kennedy and Senator Chris Dodd

President Obama and our Democratic leaders in Congress have been working to pass health care reform legislation before the end of the year. Today the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) took an important step towards that goal when it released its latest version of health care reform legislation.

The bill follows President Obama’s principles for reform by lowering costs, protecting patient choice and expanding access to quality, affordable care, and includes a strong public option and a shared employee responsibility provision. According to analysis by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the plan will cost significantly less than previously estimated and covers 97 percent of Americans. Here’s the AP story and a link to the text of the bill.

Chairman Ted Kennedy (MA) and Senator Chris Dodd (CT) sent a letter to their colleagues on the HELP committee late yesterday announcing the new CBO estimate, which scored the plan at $611.4 billion over 10 years, with the new coverage provisions scored at $597 billion – a significant reduction from earlier estimates (Ezra Klein of the Washington Post did a good round up of the CBO estimates). Here’s an excerpt from their letter:

“…For the 47 million Americans currently living without health insurance, a public option will represent an opportunity to access quality, affordable care. For those who have insurance but still struggle to get the care they and their families need, the healthy competition provided by our proposal will offer a wider variety of options while keeping costs down.

“And for the many Americans who have good coverage, nothing will change. They will still be able to keep their doctor, their hospital, and their insurance plan. What our proposal offers these families is stability – no longer will Americans with good health care have to worry about losing everything if they lose or change their job, or if someone in their family becomes sick or injured.

“Even in the face of scare tactics and false claims that a public option would destroy consumer choice or the insurance industry, a vigorous public option is what Americans want. According to two recent public polls, three out of four Americans support the establishment of a public option to compete with private insurance plans and offer families better choices when making health care decisions.

“Moreover, a strong public option isn’t just what Americans want – it’s what America needs. All of us understand the importance of the work we’re doing. The health of our economy and our families rely on it. But if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. The Senate must not, and the HELP Committee will not, shy away from this challenge. We must not settle for legislation that merely gestures at reform. We must deliver on the promise of true change.”

President Obama issued a statement praising the bill, saying:

“For decades, Washington has failed to act as health care costs continued to rise, crushing businesses, families and placing an unsustainable burden on governments. Today the Senate HELP committee has produced legislation that lowers costs, protects choice of doctors and plans and assures quality and affordable health care for Americans.”

The HELP Committee could vote as early as next week on their version of the bill, which will then be coupled with the Senate Finance Committee’s companion measure.

Senate HELP Committee Releases Health Reform Bill.