House Republicans Unveil $700B Health Care Plan

WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a $700 billion health care plan that would offer tax credits to help people buy insurance, yet unlike Democratic proposals, wouldn't require either individuals or employers to get coverage.

Some of the ideas in the plan appeal to moderate Democrats, but with Republicans out of power, there's little likelihood their proposal will be enacted. Nonetheless, it will give GOP lawmakers under fire for their opposition to President Barack Obama's plan something positive to point to when they go home for the congressional August break.

"We are introducing this bill because we support health care reform, but in way that empowers patients," said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for the House Republican Study Committee. "While the president continues to insist there is appetite for the status quo in Congress, it's not coming from Republicans."

The GOP plan was drafted by Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., a physician. It avoids expanding the federal role in overseeing the health insurance industry. Unlike Democratic proposals, it would not set up new federally regulated purchasing pools for individuals and small businesses. Instead, it would allow individuals to use the Internet to purchase lower-cost coverage available anywhere in the country. That idea won't please insurance commissioners from states with strong consumer protections, who have argued it will set off a "race to the bottom" that undermines coverage for those in frail health.

The plan would offer tax deductions and tax credits to help make the purchase of health insurance more affordable for individuals. It would provide grants to states to help set up high-risk pools for people with medical problems who are denied coverage by commercial insurers. And it would allow employers to automatically sign workers up for the company's coverage – similar to what's done with 401(k) retirement plans.

The GOP bill would take on medical malpractice, limiting jury awards for pain and suffering and creating new health courts in which a specially trained judge would hear and decide cases involving medical negligence.

It would give doctors what amounts to veto power over recommendations from a new federal board that's been assigned to compare the benefits of new treatments, tests and medications. Recommendations from the Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research could not be enacted without the approval of the medical specialty society that would be affected.

Republicans say their plan is fully paid for, but it hasn't been assessed yet by the Congressional Budget Office, the official scorekeeper for the costs of legislation.

It's also unclear how far the plan would go in reducing the number of uninsured, now nearly 50 million. Most independent analysts – and the insurance industry – say some sort of requirement to purchase insurance is needed to ensure coverage.

Comments

[barackobama4prez]

50 million people are without healthcare in this country....I'd venture to say that # is closer to 75 million with all the layoffs and people getting dropped and denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions. It's immoral and downright sick for a nation supposedly as rich and powerful as the USA to allow that to happen when we have the power to change it.

The freedom to choose is bull crap unless we all had the same economic conditions, which we know isn't the case. It's minorities and poor whites that end up disgusted and busted....but there is nothing like the GOP brand of freedom !

[hhayden]

The House bill does not outright outlaw private individual health insurance, but it does effectively regulate it out of existence. The House bill does allow private insurance to be sold, but only “Exchange-­participat­ing health benefits plans.” In order to qualify as an “Exchange-­participat­ing health benefits plan,” all health insurance plans must conform to a slew of new regulations, including community rating and guaranteed issue. These will all send the cost of private individual health insurance skyrocketing.

Furthermore, all these new regulations would not apply just to individual insurance plans, but to all insurance plans. So the House bill will also drive up the cost of your existing employer coverage as well. Until, of course, it becomes so expensive that your company makes the perfectly economical decision to dump you into the government plan. President Obama may not care to study how many people will lose their current health insurance if his plan becomes law, but like most Americans, we should.

[voltage356]

Tax credit will solve it all and that's our plan. Now shut up!

[rad21]

The Republican plan "would provide grants to states to help set up high-risk pools for people with medical problems who are denied coverage by commercial insurers."

So who will insure these "high risks pools"?

Why does not the Fed and State government remove the restrictions on Medicaid? and
Permit states to allow all who desire, to (themselves) buy into Medicaid?
Thus creating a statewide insurance; with no state-resident who is un-insured.

[Lauren SoFlo]

What the R's have going for them is a clear message that can essentially be boiled down into bullet points. Until the D's can get their act together on the specifics of their plan and have a bullet list of what is involved, the R's are going to continue to gain ground in the PR war which is eroding popular support. That R bill will never go anywhere, so its easy for R's to keep it clean and simple. If congress got ahold of it and actually tried to make it into legislation, it would get cluttered and mangled very quick. The biggest beneficiary of the R's plan is insurance companies (booo), as well as the people who have to buy their own plans (good). The public will remember the good and forget the bad, so overall the GOP scored points here (boo).

[hhayden]

We need tort reform in order to bring down costs, but it won't happen with Obama because he is in the pocket of the trial lawyers who are the real beneficiary's of the current system.

[Lawyer822]

I don't understand how a tax break is going to help someone like me that pays $1,097.00 a month for insurance for my husband and myself. And our plan we have a $1500 deductible and have to pay 20% out of pocket for in-network. Our healthcare cost more than our mortgage payment a month. How is this plan reduce premiums?

[hhayden]

If you can't find a better plan then that, I don't want you as a lawyer. I have a better plan than that for $258 dollars a month.

[hhayden]

Just sue a couple of hapless doctors - you can then buy a couple of plans.

[spinns17]

tax breaks.isnt this the same .who is going to pay for those tax breaks.

[hhayden]

Who is going to pay for Obamacare? Tax breaks puts money in your pocket, Obama care takes it out.

[acephalist]

So, the "plan" is to give insurance companies your tax dollars... but this time directly. Genius.

[Conservador-Rebelde]

Okay, well then where does the $1 trillion for Obama's plan go? Doesn't it go to the insurance companies?

[ReedYoung]

Why would you assume that? The smart thing is to cut out the middle man.

[acephalist]

I'm not sure which plan you're talking about. The one with a public option, which was reviewed by the CBO, would pay for medical costs through taxes directly to medical providers.

[Tom Joad]

No complaints about the ongoing war expenditures - GWB committed us to a $2T war effort with not tangible end point. GWD gave away $750B (that's $0.75T) to the banskters so they could lavish it on themselves. So now you object to $1T that actually benefits the majority of Americans - it's our money, remember. You're very dense, brother...

[hhayden]

Unless all the doctors and hospitals work directly for him.

If one of his "final days" planners comes to me, I just hope I have the strength to knock him (or her) on their a'ss.

[WmC]

Great. A plan that does nothing to reduce the number of uninsured, that does nothing to control health care costs, that does nothing to improve outcomes. Only would Repubs refer to this as a "plan". I think it's simply a plan to keep insurance company $ coming to them.

[hhayden]

Don't worry, Our Dear Leader will insure all that too.

[Renifer]

Bush isn't in office anymore. He's the one who, along with Republicans, gutted Medicare with "part D", and tried to steal Social Security from the elderly and the disabled. Republicans have created this mess by not regulating businesses like banking and insurance, allowing them to do whatever they please.
We now have 18,000 Americans dying each year who would be alive if they had medical care. If we can afford two wars and insurance costs that are double what every other industrialized nation pays, we can afford to insure more people.
Medicare has an overhead of 3%. Insurance companies have overhead of 40-50% They are killing Americans and profiting from it. We need to make sure that there is a public option to opt out of private insurance, which has become so corrupt because of Republicans that it is no longer functional. If Republicans are "pro life" like they say they are, then they should save 18K lives each year, and save the families that are going bankrupt at 1 million a year plus, causing suffering and poverty and creating a drain on the welfare system, including Medicaid in some cases. This needs to stop. Insurance companies are corrupt! It's time to stop them and start helping real Americans, not fat cat CEOs.

[RealityBaseCamp]

I admit I was slightly off about the Republican plan. I figured it would feature, like all Republican plans, TAX CUTS AND DEREGULATION for corporations, and ONLY those things. Then, they would pass the savings along to us! Well, they'd promise to do it, not in writing or anything. The result would be just like their last idea, "competition will drive down costs!" No competition, no driving down.

[meede]

Same piece of crap that McCain stumped for months. Family credit of $5,000. Family presently pays $12,000. Great healthcare benefit idea -- the rethugs have spent 9 months and they still parrot talk the same old McCain stump speech. These people are getting paid outrageous salaries compared to regular working people, have golden healthcare package, golden pension package and tax free perks, travel perks that they use the excuse it's a working junket.

Throw them to to curb again.

[barackobama4prez]

Throw the elephants and blue dog-donkeys out of elected office until they develop...[gasp, dare i say it]....empathy for the average, middle class citizen in this country. No sympathy? No vote.

[hhayden]

Then you must throw them all to the curb, including the Obama gang.

[Renifer]

No, we should throw people like you to the curb that can't think properly.

[Peekay19]

I don’t think republicans understand the problems with the current healthcare system. Tax cuts and tax subsidies are only helpful to high earners, in effect those who can already afford health insurance. Ideas deficient Repu's, please the middle and the lower class are barely surviving; folks are not making enough to benefit from a tax cut or subsidy. The republican bill actually put consumer at a disadvantage; with this bill health insurance providers can easily get around state laws to screw consumers. This bill will embolden health insurance providers.

[Renifer]

Peekay,
Oh, they understand all right. Republicans just don't care about anyone but themselves. Our current system is corrupt, and they made it that way. I say we vote out every single person that doesn't vote for a single payer health plan, or at the very least a public option to keep the insurance companies honest. Make them compete! That's what the Republicans all say. Competition is a good thing. Make corrupt insurance companies compete with good government. Medicare was a good plan until the Republicans got hold of it and trainwrecked it.

[Kessei]

When I read that House Republicans have come up with their own health plan, I immediately thought, "hit people in the head repeatedly with hammers until they stop complaining"?

Whattaya know. Turns out I wasn't that far off!

[hhayden]

Obama is hitting you with a sledge hammer in the hope it will feel better when he resorts to a regular one.

[springsm]

I see, now that the bluedogs have shown their allegiance, the stoooopid obstructionists are going to come up with a plan....give us a break.

[hhayden]

So you slam them for supposedly having no plan and then slam them when they do. I sense a trend.

[Okieborn]

DA** !!
Go Away !!

[hhayden]

Hearing thoes voices in your head again?

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

Please have a listen to this, it is awesome ( I don't use awesome often)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGp043tHAc8

[Tyberius]

wow

[hhayden]

Here's another:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izpU4YJ0ZAA

[SouthpawSass]

Oops, originally posted this on the wrong page. Anyway, going around again:

UnitedHealth Group which is United Healthcare insurance have some in their company with a saying that doesn't get circulated outside their walls - "Too Bad, So Sad"... No lie. Mainly referencing an attitude towards their members when something in their plan isn't covered. Kinda snarky, huh?