Healthcare Reform Passes Senate

Senate Healthcare Reform Bill: passed, 60-to-39 on "the 25th straight day of debate on the legislation."

The bill would require most Americans to have health insurance and would subsidize private coverage for low- and middle-income people, costing the government $871 billion over a decade, according to the New York Times. That same article says that if the bill becomes law, "it would be a milestone in social policy, comparable with the creation of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare in 1965. But unlike those programs, the new initiative lacks bipartisan support."

Only one Republican voted for the House bill last month, and no Republicans voted for the Senate version.

There are also significant differences between the House and Senate versions of the legislation.

Reuters offers a look at some sticking points:

• Public Option: The House bill includes a government-run "public" insurance option to compete with private insurers on new state exchanges where the uninsured can compare and shop for coverage. The Senate bill will no longer include a public option, which was dropped to appease moderate Democratic opponents.
• Abortion: Both the Senate and House bills include compromise language designed to ensure federal funds are not used to pay for coverage of abortions, the news report notes. However, the House bill is more restrictive, barring any federal subsidies for plans that cover abortion purchased on the state insurance exchanges and requiring anyone seeking coverage for elective abortions to purchase separate insurance riders. The Senate plan would let states opt out of including plans with abortion coverage on exchanges and require those with abortion coverage to write separate premium checks.
• Tax Revenues: The House and Senate reportedly rely on different approaches to help raise the money to pay for the bill. The House has a tax on the wealthiest Americans, while the Senate taxes expensive insurance plans. The Senate bill also raises payroll taxes on the wealthiest Americans for Medicare, the government health program for the elderly.

Read other stories about this

here

,

here

and

here

.