Post by unlawflcombatnt on Jul 17, 2009 15:21:43 GMT -6
Unfortunately, there is still practically no tangible information about the upcoming health care reform legislation, though there's certainly no lack of posturing or meaningless political soundbites being regurgitated. Below are excerpts from a Yahoo article that show at least some of pittance of tangible information available.
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090717/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul
By DAVID ESPO
7/17/09
"2 House committees approved their portions of the sweeping health care bill over Republican objections.
That left 1 more panel to act, but conservative Democrats were rebelling, demanding additional measures to hold down skyrocketing costs.
Given the complexities, as well as fresh calls for delay in the Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., opened the door to pushing off a vote past the early August timeline she and Obama laid out weeks ago....
Obama's call for additional steps to hold down costs came 1 day after the head of the Congressional Budget Office told Congress the legislation taking shape so far would fail to accomplish that....
Legislation is already pending in the Senate to reduce the control individual lawmakers and Congress as a whole have over setting the rates doctors and other providers are paid under Medicare. In his letter, Orszag forwarded an alternative proposal that he said would accomplish the same goal....
Under current law, a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission makes recommendations to lawmakers annually on the rates Medicare pays doctors and other health care providers. Lawmakers are not obliged to follow them, or even vote on them.
Obama recommended changing that, requiring lawmakers to vote on the recommendations and proposing they take effect unless rejected by the House and Senate....
Any legislation that emerges from Congress is expected to require insurance companies to issue policies to anyone who seeks coverage, without turning them down or charging higher premiums on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions.
To spread insurance more widely, both the House bill and companion proposals in the Senate would rely on hundreds of billions of dollars in federal subsidies to assist lower income families. The House bill also calls for the government to sell insurance in competition with private industry, a provision that Republicans in particular oppose strongly.
While Pelosi has long said the House will vote on legislation by the time lawmakers leave on vacation at the end of July, she hedged for the first time at the news conference.
"We have to see what the Senate will do," she said, before suggesting that changing the bill to produce more savings might require additional time....
She spoke not long after 6 senators, three Democrats, one independent and two Republicans, announced their opposition to "timelines which prevent us from achieving the best result.""
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090717/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul
By DAVID ESPO
7/17/09
"2 House committees approved their portions of the sweeping health care bill over Republican objections.
That left 1 more panel to act, but conservative Democrats were rebelling, demanding additional measures to hold down skyrocketing costs.
Given the complexities, as well as fresh calls for delay in the Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., opened the door to pushing off a vote past the early August timeline she and Obama laid out weeks ago....
Obama's call for additional steps to hold down costs came 1 day after the head of the Congressional Budget Office told Congress the legislation taking shape so far would fail to accomplish that....
Legislation is already pending in the Senate to reduce the control individual lawmakers and Congress as a whole have over setting the rates doctors and other providers are paid under Medicare. In his letter, Orszag forwarded an alternative proposal that he said would accomplish the same goal....
Under current law, a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission makes recommendations to lawmakers annually on the rates Medicare pays doctors and other health care providers. Lawmakers are not obliged to follow them, or even vote on them.
Obama recommended changing that, requiring lawmakers to vote on the recommendations and proposing they take effect unless rejected by the House and Senate....
Any legislation that emerges from Congress is expected to require insurance companies to issue policies to anyone who seeks coverage, without turning them down or charging higher premiums on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions.
To spread insurance more widely, both the House bill and companion proposals in the Senate would rely on hundreds of billions of dollars in federal subsidies to assist lower income families. The House bill also calls for the government to sell insurance in competition with private industry, a provision that Republicans in particular oppose strongly.
While Pelosi has long said the House will vote on legislation by the time lawmakers leave on vacation at the end of July, she hedged for the first time at the news conference.
"We have to see what the Senate will do," she said, before suggesting that changing the bill to produce more savings might require additional time....
She spoke not long after 6 senators, three Democrats, one independent and two Republicans, announced their opposition to "timelines which prevent us from achieving the best result.""