Comparing the Senate and House Healthcare Bills

[The Straight Story]

Comparing the Senate and House Healthcare Bills



WASHINGTON, DC - The House narrowly passed its version of healthcare reform legislation on Nov. 7, on a 220-215 vote. The Senate just approved its version, 60-40, Sunday night.

Here's a look at key differences between the two bills:

Cost of insuring millions of Americans who don't have insurance now

House: $1.1 trillion over 10 years

Senate: $871 billion over 10 years

Net reductions in federal deficit after tax increases, penalties and spending cuts

House: $138 billion over 10 years

Senate: $132 billion over 10 years

Number of people who would be newly insured

House: 36 million (18 million would be left without insurance).

Senate: 31 million (23 million would be left without insurance).

Year major provisions would take effect

House: 2013

Senate: 2014

Makeup of new health insurance exchanges for smaller businesses and people not offered insurance through an employer

House: National marketplace run by federal government with subsidies for people earning up to 400 percent of poverty level.

Senate: Individual state marketplaces with subsidies for people earning up to 400 percent of poverty level.

Government-run "public" health insurance plan

House: Included as option in national health insurance exchange.

Senate: Not included. Instead, the agency that handles health insurance plans for federal employees would contract for two national or multi-state plans. Those plans would be run by private firms and offered on the exchange.

Expansion of Medicaid

House: Starting in 2013, would expand to cover people earning up to 150 percent of federal poverty level.

Senate: Starting in 2014, would expand to cover people earning up to 133 percent of federal poverty level.

Taxes and fees

House: 5.4 percent surtax on individuals making more than $500,000 and couples making more than $1 million, and new tax on sales of medical devices.

Senate: New tax on high-cost insurance plans and indoor tanning services, and increased Medicare payroll tax on high earners. New fees on insurers and makers of prescription drugs and medical devices.

Medicare drug benefit

House: Would cut in half the price of brand-name drugs for all seniors who fall in the "donut hole" gap in Medicare drug coverage. Gap would be phased out by 2019.

Senate: Would cut in half the price of brand-name drugs for low- and middle-income seniors who fall in the gap. Would increase by $500 the amount of drugs Medicare would cover before the "donut hole" begins, but only for 2010.

Insurance premiums for older customers

House: Insurers could not charge older customers more than twice what they charge younger customers.

Senate: Insurers could not charge older customers more than three times what they charge younger customers.

Mandates for employers

House: Employers with payrolls greater than $500,000 would have to offer coverage to workers and contribute at least 72.5 percent of the premium cost for a single plan and 65 percent of the premium cost for a family plan. Employers who don't would pay a penalty of 8 percent of their payroll.

Senate: Employers with more than 50 workers that did not offer coverage would pay a penalty of $750 for each full-time worker if any employee received subsidized coverage through the health insurance exchange.

Mandates for individuals

House: People who don't buy insurance would pay penalty of 2.5 percent of their income.

Senate: People who don't buy insurance would pay a penalty of $750 or 2 percent of their income by 2016, whichever is higher.

Abortion

House: No plans sold on the exchange, including the public plan, could cover abortion services for people receiving government subsidies to purchase the insurance (unless the procedure is necessary to save the mother's life, or in cases of rape or incest).

Senate: States could decide whether to block plans sold on the exchange from offering abortion services. If a plan did offer abortion services, patients would have to pay for those services using a separate check from the checks they use to pay for general coverage under the plan.

Illegal immigrants

House: Illegal immigrants could not receive subsidies to purchase insurance on the exchange.

Senate: Illegal immigrants could not use either subsidies or their own money to purchase insurance on the exchange.

http://www.news10.net/news/story.aspx?storyid=72142&catid=2

[damntexdem]

1. Thanks.

Bet the Senate bill predominates in the conference report.

[Beetwasher]

2. Maybe, But The Senate Bill Is The Floor

Even were we to end up just w/ that bill, it would be progress.

[ThomWV]

3. I pray it is not so.

[regnaD kciN]

4. I get the feeling it wiil go the other way...

...that, to appease progressives for the loss of the public option, a lot of other, more-acceptable elements of the House bill will be included.