Historic: House unveils their health care bill
Posted on October 29th, 2009 by Jason Rosenbaum in Congress Watch
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On the steps of the Capitol today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic caucus unveiled the "Affordable Health Care for America Act." [pdf]
This bill makes health care more affordable to people, it regulates insurance company bad practices, it is fairly financed and asks employers to pitch in their fair share, and it gives us the choice of a public health insurance option to keep insurance companies honest.
There will be a lot more to say on this bill in the coming hours and days as it is passed through the House of Representatives, but the historical significance of today shouldn't be understated.
I attended the bill unveiling at the Capitol building this morning, and the Members of Congress who spoke often referred to FDR and LBJ, who stood up for health care for all decades ago. One man embodies those passed fights, and it is fitting that he is the first co-sponsor of this new bill that will finally deliver on the promise of quality, affordable health care for all in America.
Representative John Dingell from Michigan has been in Congress since 1955. His father was one of the first to take up the fight for health reform in Congress, and ever since, Representative Dingell has carried on his father's torch, introducing the universal health care bill his father wrote into Congress every year.
Today, Representative Dingell's name appears first in the list of co-sponsors for the Affordable Health Care for America Act, and today on the Capitol steps, Representative Dingell spoke out for reform. He brought with him the gavel he used to help pass Medicare, and said he would lend it to whoever presided over the House vote on this health care bill. As he said, "A good piece of wood does not wear out with one great event."
A comprehensive health care bill has never made it to the floor of the House, or with the kind of support this one has, in our nation's history. We are closer today than we've ever been to passing health reform for the people of this country. And sometimes, it's worth stepping back and thinking about that.
Update
Richard Kirsch, our National Campaign Manager, ads:
“The House of Representatives took an historic step today by introducing a bill that will guarantee good, affordable health care and real choice in the health insurance marketplace.
We commend Speaker Pelosi and the rest of the House leadership team, Chairmen Waxman, Miller, and Rangel, and Congressman Dingell for all working together to deliver legislation that puts people's health care needs before insurance company profits. Today, House leadership proved it is on our side with a bill that makes health care much more affordable, ends egregious insurance industry abuse, and injects real choice and competition with the inclusion of a national public health insurance option. We are also pleased to see the bill includes shared responsibility between individuals, employers, and government and draws revenue from fair financing as opposed to taxation of higher-cost health care plans.
Today we took one historic step closer to achieving comprehensive health care reform that works for America’s families and businesses and guarantees people will no longer be left at the mercy of private health insurance companies - companies beholden to Wall Street and corporate shareholders instead of committed to making sure people have good, affordable health care when they need it most.”
Yes…and what about the bill vis a vis cost control and lack of a robust public option? Should the Health Choices Commissioner be a Presidential appointee, who is beholden to all sorts of corporate pressure in the advise and consent battle? What does HCAN have to say as the bill progresses, to make it stronger? This is not a time for celebration. Remember the Single Payer solution? Does this public option serve? We must not settle for less!
The public option still controls costs, just not as much. And of course, no bill is perfect. If there are opportunities to make it stronger, we'll take them, and details matter. But this bill does meet our principles and is worth supporting.
if we allow the likes of lieberman to water this public option down, then all is lost! he and so many others are in the pockets of the drug and health care industry giants. our politcal systems oozes with corruption and is failing the people. ask for a definition of a"robust public option" then don't waiver from it's implimentation!!
can you tell? i'm just so tired of all this crap!
When I wrote to our Vermont Rep. Peter Welsh, I asked him to thumb his nose at (and give the bird to) the "health" insurance lobby so that Vermont will not have to go it alone in order to show the rest of the country how to run a health care system that keeps people healthy instead of Cigna & Blue Cross CEO's rich. I can't wait to watch him and Bernie Sanders shake up the lobbyist-infested House and Senate with a hurricane of fresh air that will drown the lobbyists & their "death panel company" bosses in a tsunami of common sense à la VERMONT ! ! !
I am a Connecticut resident who is thouroughly disgusted with Senator Lieberman right now, and have been for a while, but especially now. I am working on creating a very strongly-worded and compelling email to him, but I feel as though there is more that we can do. These "teapartiers" formed a massive march on Washington, should we try and do the same? Does anyone have any suggestions on what we can do to effectively get our voices heard and show our support for real healthcare reform?
Please scrap all of these bogus plans immediately, people can see right through them. That is, unless the Democrats are actually planning to commit mass suicide in the next election.
Bring forward a one-word bill to change the starting age of Medicare from 65 to 50. Announce plans to work on details and systematically lower the age to zero in the near future.
There are a massive number of people in the 50-65 age group who are really suffering for lack of health care. There would be instant avid support.
Everybody would instantly understand the bill. Talk show pin heads would not be able to make fun of it or lie about it.
Virtually no Republican, Blue Dog, or Democrat, regardless of how gutless, would be able to vote against it.
I agree wholeheartedly with John Kromko. Unfortunately, it may not be politically obtainable right now because of the lies, half truths and twisting of facts that the republican party practices in order to brainwash and manipulate the public (afterall the insurance industry campaign donations help get them elected). At least the public option cost will eventually show that the majority of dollars paid in premiums to private health insurance companies are spent on commissions, bonuses, excessive salaries ar the executive level, advertising, excessive administration cost due to complexity of health care insurance policies, etc. Some people site that only 40 percent of health care insurance premiums collected actually go as payouts to health care providers. The American public has been screwed, blued and tatooed by the insurance companies for too long.
As an aside I used to be a republican. The way I feel now, I would never vote for a republican again even if his only oponent was Bozo the Clown.
I have been paying COBRA premiums since taking early retirement last year. The coverage expires in January. I have been tirelessly applying for individual coverage through six major health care companies only to be denied by all due to very benign pre-existing conditions (generalized anxiety for which I take a tranquilizer when I fly, when I speak in public, etc.; and because I take a drug to PREVENT osteoporosis. It was demoralizing to receive one rejection after another. I am a healthy 58 year old woman with no terminal or serious illness whatsoever. I am now destined to pay $700.00 per month for a state health care option. Had one of the health care companies granted coverage I would be paying at least one half of this in premiums.
I plan to reapply to these companies once the bill has been signed into law. However, can anyone enlighten me as to when these companies will be ordered to cease their practice of denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
Thanks to all.
See here:
http://blog.healthcareforamericanow.org/2009/10/29/a-closer-look-at-the-house-bill-taking-on-the-insurance-industry/
I want a strong public option, Medicare for All. This hoo-rah announcement really doesn't tell me a damn thing about a public option, or a public "trigger" (what a tragic joke that is), or how long it will take in years for any of these so-called reforms to kick in. Seems to me the insurance and big pharma industries are still winning. Yeah, I know, something is better than what we have but …. I am so disgusted with our politicians. I'm from Montana and I am NOT voting for Baucus ever again that's for sure. Again, give us a true public option. Quit taking money from those that lobby for lying pharmaceutical companies (like the ones who put too much mercury in their flu shots which causes not only death but horrible physical pain, disfigurement and a ruined life all of which the Bush Congress gave legislation prohibiting an injured person from suing for damages).
I have an idea. Why don't we bring forward the Medicare bill and change the eligibility from age 65 down to zero?It's the most cost effective way to bring affordable quality health care for all. ANd the bill is only one word long. Hmmm.
When I heard there was a clause allowing that states could opt out I realized this will not be a public option available to all. I live in Indiana. Our Republican governor, Mitch Daniels, state senator Evan Bayh, my state rep Baron Hill are not in support of a public option. I can only assume that it will not be available in most conservative states like Indiana. Will this be true under the current proposal?
The House bill has no opt-out clause.