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This week in the reform of health care

Legislation on health care reform that passed the House this week on a party-line vote. Late Sunday night, House Democrats approved health care reform, the Senate sent legislation to President Obama for his signature. Obama signed the project Tuesday in the underlying law, but the house always has yet to finalize the package of "corrections" that will change the final consequences of the legislation.


The health reform talks

House Democrats Pass Health Reform Package: The House of Representatives passed the Health Bill on the Senate health reform on Sunday night by a vote of 219-212. The final vote is the culmination of a debate throughout the year on the reform of health care. In the final vote, 34 Democrats joined Republicans in the House to vote against the measure. Soon after, the House also approved a series of "corrections" by a vote of 220 to 211, which was sent directly to the Senate for approval for reconciliation. Tuesday, Obama became law on health reform bill in the Senate, called the "Patient Protection Act, and affordable."

Group of Senate Republicans to send the bill back to the house of Reconciliation: Shortly after the President signed the bill in the Senate, senators began discussions on the reconciliation project. Reconciliation protocol limit senators to 20 hours of debate on the measure, but not limit the number of amendments that may occur. In an expression of opposition to the bill, Republicans 29 amendments to the proposed reconciliation.

After 10 hours of continuing debate, the Republicans were able to circumvent the provisions relating to financial aid the college as part of the health bill. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Senate has decided on the morning of Thursday, that these two provisions violated the rules of the House, sending the legislation to the House for another vote. Consequently, on Thursday afternoon, the Senate voted for the bill reconciliation without these two provisions, and sent the bill to Parliament to vote on final passage. The Parliament vote is likely to be the evening of Thursday.

What makes this law on the reform of health care means: The bill to reform health care expansion of insurance coverage for Americans over 32 million in 2019, the law has other consequences of high which will be gradually brought quickly, within multi-year implementation.

Many features of the bill for health care reform news that take effect in 2010 under the measure passed Sunday includes:

* Requirements of new products at the beginning of six months after enactment, such as:

Or to cover dependents up to 26 years

or Unlimited lifetime maximum benefit

o And no cost sharing on preventive care for the insured certain

* Temporary federal funds at risk;

* Tax credits for small employers, and

* Prohibition of pre-existing condition exclusions for children (beginning six months tweaking).

Most Americans have until 2014 to buy insurance or pay a fine. Other parts of the bill, which does not take effect until at least 2014 in the insurance market places called "trade", which requires insurers to accept all applicants regardless of pre-existing conditions, and the expansion of state Medicaid programs.

Some experts question whether the reform of health care will actually lower insurance premiums. Plans of America Health Insurance (AHIP) trade group representing health insurers, outlines a number of concerns with regard to legislation, including the lack of provisions that address the underlying costs of health to improve the quality of care or to ensure a stable pool of risk. In addition, AHIP expressed concern about new taxes on health coverage, which would be likely to increase premiums.

Complementary activities

Obama's Executive Order abortion funding: Sunday afternoon, before the final vote on the House health care reform, President Obama has agreed to issue the executive order, defending the ban on federal funding for abortion. In this case, resulted in about a half dozen anti-abortion Democrat, sounds, led by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), who previously opposed the law. On Wednesday, President Obama signed an executive order to prohibit the government from spending federal money to pay for abortions in the insurance plans offered for exchange to size.

State Filing Lawsuit Fight the provision of health care reform law: legal action in response to the new health reform law, states across the country have made to ask the court declares the law unconstitutional and bar its implementation. Monday, Attorneys General in 13 states, which leads in Florida, made a common cause, arguing that the new health care reform, the government has violated the constitutional rights of U.S. forces and the massive new spending pressures our state governments. Joining the suit in Florida, Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington.

While the Attorney General has filed another complaint in Virginia argued that Congress exceeded its jurisdiction by ordering people to buy health insurance. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says the new law requiring collision with Virginia law, which exempts citizens of federal fines for not having health insurance.

Senate votes to extend COBRA until May 5: Senate Democrats plan another short-term extension with unemployment, this week, setting up a showdown with Republicans who are promising to fight the spread, if the cost of $ 10 billion is not offset by spending cuts. The bill, currently set to expire on April 5, extending a series of emergency programs - including the financing of unemployment insurance benefits and COBRA health for the unemployed - and take a deep cuts in reimbursement rates for doctors serving Medicare patients. The long-term extension already approved by the House and Senate, but the two measures should not be reconciled and sent to the President's Office after the Easter holidays.

Obama in Iowa leaders discuss health care: Obama headed to Iowa on Thursday to increase support for its legislation on health care. This trip was the president Obama'sfirst ofWashington out since the signing of the law on the reform of health care earlier this week. He spoke at the University of Iowa, the city where he first announced his proposal for health care during the presidential campaign.

Public opinion

Most Americans want the Republicans to fight the bill for health care reform: In a recent CBS News poll, 62 percent of Americans said they want the Republicans in Congress to continue to defy the law , while 33 percent said no. Disapproval of the bill has remained stable, with 46 percent said they disapprove, including 32 percent who "strongly" opposed. Most Americans still say they found the bill is confusing and does not understand what it means to them or their families.

U.S. Split on Pass Health Care Reform: In a recent U.S. Today / Gallup poll, 42 percent of Americans said they were angry or disappointed with the recent passage of legislation to reform health care. When asked to reveal their political affiliation, 79 percent identified themselves as Republicans.

Polls show support for the trial of State against the government: national poll shows strong opposition to the individual mandate. In a report recently released Rasmussen, against 53 percent of respondents to the new mandate requiring all Americans to purchase or obtain health insurance. Over 49 percent of voters in favor of their state of the federal government continue to fight the mandate. Fifty-one percent said individual states should have the right to withdraw from the health care plan altogether.

Looking ahead

This week, after the final vote on health reform, President Obama will visit the country in the coming months to discuss the new law. Republicans have begun their own discussions on the law, with an eye toward the November election.