Democratic Senators released a plan on Saturday, and Bloomberg reports that House Democrats will unveil a health care plan today. A few general aspects of the plan have been reported:
The plan’s public insurance program would compete with private industry, with rates paid to doctors and hospitals at a level above those charged by Medicare, said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat.
An outline of the plan also says Democrats drafting the House bill will propose new restrictions on insurers, including caps on out-of-pocket health-care expenses in policies to protect consumers from bankruptcy. The legislation also would bar insurers from excluding people based on pre-existing conditions, according to the outline, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg News.
Small, “low-wage” businesses would be exempt from the mandate that employers provide coverage, and small firms providing insurance benefits would also get a new tax credit, according to the outline.
While the House Democrats’ plan would boost Medicare payments to primary-care physicians, it will also cut payments to Medicare Advantage health plans. Details of those cuts weren’t provided.
Correction: The Senate plan actually was not released but leaked out. Politico reports the plan will officially be released today. I imagine this will give conservative bloggers a second chance to spread the misinformation they were spreading over the weekend.
