Biggest Health Care Bill Since Obamacare To Be Signed
President Obama is about to sign the biggest change in health care since the Affordable Care Act.
The legislation passed the Senate on Tuesday night by a vote of 92-8. It was approved 392-37 by the House last month before Easter recess. Obama had endorsed the proposal as Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) were closing in on a deal…
The legislation has three broad components.
First, it fixes a gaping hole in the Medicare program by replacing the formula to pay physicians — known as the Sustainable Growth Rate — which imposes steep annual cuts that Congress has routinely overridden for 12 years. Instead doctors will receive a 0.5 percent pay bump for each of the next five years before transitioning to a new system aimed at paying them for quality of care.
Second, it cuts billions of dollars from Medicare. It requires seniors who earn between $133,500 and $214,000 a year (and couples making twice that amount) to pay more for insurance and prescription drug coverage, and cuts spending on supplemental Medigap plans in order to discourage over-utilization of services on the taxpayer dime. It also modestly reduces long-term spending on providers of hospice care, home health services and nursing homes.
Third, it extends the Children’s Health Care Program for two years, moving the new expiration date to October 1, 2017. (Democrats had pushed for a four-year extension but House Republicans rejected that idea and Senate Republicans killed an amendment to that effect.)
Copyright 2015 Liberaland
4 responses to Biggest Health Care Bill Since Obamacare To Be Signed
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
tracey marie April 16th, 2015 at 13:06
Sounds good, the affluent should pay more for their HC and increasing HC for children is absolutely brilliant.
Larry Schmitt April 16th, 2015 at 13:55
It’s brilliant for this congress, it would be the bare minimum for any non-dysfunctional group of achievers. Shows what a low bar they have set for themselves.
tracey marie April 16th, 2015 at 14:05
True, but it is a step forward. When Hillary is President we will have universal HC, so this is short term
peacedreamer April 16th, 2015 at 19:51
On the surface it may seem like this is good. It actually is a cut for Medicare for all seniors & just postpones cuts for kids. Once again the Congress gets a zero score.