Published: Sunday, November 8, 2009
Details of the House health bill
The House health care bill approved Saturday night includes:
An individual mandate that would require people to buy health insurance.
An employer mandate that would require companies to cover their employees, though small businesses would be exempted.
Funding to create insurance exchanges to serve people who don't have employer coverage.
A government insurance option to compete with private plans on the exchange.
Subsidies to help households earning up to $88,000 in annual income for a family of four purchase coverage.
A historic Medicaid expansion that would provide free health care to all Americans with incomes below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
Up to $400 billion in Medicare and Medicaid cuts, including to a Medicare Advantage managed-care program that serves nearly 11 million seniors.
A surcharge on taxpayers who earn more than $500,000 a year, or $1 million a year for families.
A crackdown on the insurance industry, including bans on lifetime limits, premium disparity based on health status and gender, and coverage denials based on pre-existing conditions. The bill also would end a federal antitrust exemption that has for decades protected firms from federal investigations.
The Washington Post
The Washington Post
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