House Democrats Unveil Plan for Affordable Health Insurance
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According to the LA Times, House Democrats have finally agreed upon a health care bill that would provide affordable health insurance for millions of uninsured Americans right now.
Their bill, which will be passed to the Senate and then melded with theirs, offers a few key details that have been in and out of the news for weeks.
It includes a law that would require all Americans purchase health coverage. This would force those who don't think they need health insurance - namely the young and healthy - to pay for coverage. Their premiums would then offset those of the less healthy, effectively lowering all national health care costs, much as group health insurance plans do on a smaller scale.
It also offers a public option, which has been hotly contested by Republicans, as well as insurance companies who feel that the competition would drive them out of business.
There would also exist non-profit health cooperatives designed to help people find coverage they need, at a price they can afford. And insurance companies would no longer be able to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
While this bill would provide affordable health insurance to most of the millions of uninsured in America, some still argue about the costs.
It isn't clear whether or not it would exceed the $900 billion dollar benchmark set by President Obama, with some saying it would and others saying it won't.
But, as this bill heads towards the Senate, it isn't expected to be subject to a vote until the end of the year. How it looks and what it retains at that point remains to be seen.