The health care bill that is designed to completely overhaul the American health care system has caused plenty of heated debates in the Senate after it was recently passed by the House of Representatives. Debates are expected to continue for up to three weeks as lawmakers look to find a nonpartisan resolution on several issues in the bill, including the public health care option, abortion issues and overall costs of the new health care bill.
Capitol-Senate-health-care-bill
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), 70% of people receiving employer-sponsored health insurance would see little or no changes to their premiums if the current health care bill passes. Those who purchase their own health insurance, however, may see their premiums rise an estimated 10-13%. The CBO is quick to point out that this rise in premiums is due to more comprehensive coverage, so essentially you get more for what you’re paying for.

The health care bill consists of over 2,000 pages of legislation—many of which will never even be read by most members of Congress! That’s a little unsettling to think that the American people have to trust that Congress will do the right thing when most of them don’t even read the bill. This is exactly why it’s important to voice your opinion by writing a letter or getting on the phone with your local and state representatives of Congress.

Republicans would like to see changes to the bill. Senator John McCain has proposed an amendment to the bill that would remove cuts to the Medicare program. Many republicans also believe that the bill is far too costly. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell recently called the health care bill’s estimated $979 billion cost of the bill over 10 years “fiscally irresponsible” (source).

It’s clear that both sides have a lot to work out in order to get this bill passed. Democrats hope to have the completed bill on the President’s desk by January. The next few weeks will be pivotal in how the final plan turns out. Stay tuned…

Related posts