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Proposed Legislation

Health Care Reconciliation Package
The House has released details of a $940 billion comprehensive health care reconciliation package. The legislation (H.R. 4872) incorporates adjustments to the Senate-passed legislation based largely on the proposals submitted by President Obama. It maintains proposals to create health insurance exchanges and to provide tax credits to qualifying individuals and small businesses, including nonprofits, for purchasing health insurance. The package would slightly modify the Senate-proposed excise tax on high cost insurance plans and is projected to reduce federal deficits by $138 billion over the first ten years. Click here for a section-by-section narrative and revenue information released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT).

President Obama's Health Care Proposal
President Obama has released his administration’s comprehensive health care reform proposal. The estimated $950 billion proposal closely mirrors final Senate-passed legislation with some modifications that reflect ongoing negotiations between House and Senate leaders. The proposal would create a health insurance exchange without a formal government-run public insurance option, increase the Medicare payroll tax for high-income filers, levy a 40% excise tax on high cost insurance plans (while raising the thresholds above the Senate proposed limits), provide tax credits to qualifying individuals and small businesses, including nonprofits, for purchasing health insurance, and reduce federal deficits by an estimated $100 billion over the first 10 years.

Senate Health Care Legislation
The Senate passed its $875 billion comprehensive health bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590) with a manager’s amendment package  December 24, 2009. The final bill eliminates the government-run public insurance option in favor of multi-state insurance exchanges, increases the Medicare payroll tax for high-income filers, and expands the accessibility of tax credits to qualifying individuals and small businesses, including nonprofits, for purchasing health insurance. Click here for a section-by-section narrative prepared by the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and revised spending and revenue estimates information from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT).

House Health Care Legislation
The House passed its comprehensive health care reform bill, Affordable Health Care for America Act (HR 3962), November 7, 2009 by a 220-215 final vote. The legislation would create a health insurance exchange, a government-run public insurance option, impose individual and employer mandates, and provide tax credits to subsidize health insurance costs of individuals and for-profit employers with 25 or fewer employees. The bill calls for savings from within the health care system and would impose a 5.4% surtax on households earning more than $1 million in adjusted gross income. Click here for a bill summary (PDF) and section-by-section (PDF) narrative provided by the House committees. Click here to view a summary (PDF) and full text (PDF) of the manager’s amendment added to the bill before passage.

Last updated: March 18, 2010