House passes health care reform legislation PDF Print E-mail
 

 

Details of the legislation

Highlights for Vermont
Full text of House amendments

Full Senate bill text
Health care reform summary
Immediate benefits
Implementation timeline


 

 

 

 

On March 22, Rep. Welch held a statewide telephone town hall meeting to discuss
the legislation and its impact on Vermonters.  Click here to listen.

 

Debunking Five Myths About Health Care Reform

 

What does health care reform mean for Vermonters?

 

 

What does the bill mean for me? - Washington Post calculator

 

The U.S. House on Sunday passed historic health care reform legislation with the support of Rep. Peter Welch. A pair of bills approved by the House will extend access to health care to 32 million Americans, end abusive insurance company practices and cut the deficit by $138 billion over the next ten years and by $1.2 trillion the following decade.

The House passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) by a vote of 219 to 212 and the Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872) by a vote of 220 to 211. Having already been approved by the Senate, H.R. 3590 will be sent to President Obama for his signature, while H.R. 4872, which makes immediate improvements to H.R. 3590, will be sent to the Senate for consideration.

"Tonight, we faced the choice of accepting the status quo or moving toward a system in which every American has access to quality, affordable health care and every American helps pay for it. We faced a choice between allowing health insurance companies to continue to cherry-pick their customers or making health care affordable for all families and all small businesses," Welch said.

"Tonight's vote is a victory for hard-working Americans who will no longer have to worry about a sick child receiving care or being bankrupted by a serious illness. It is a victory for seniors who will no longer have to worry about filling the gap in their Medicare prescription drug coverage. And it is a victory for small businesses who struggle every day to pay employee premiums.

"While this legislation will not solve all our nation's health care problems, it sets us firmly and confidently down the path toward a system that works for all Americans."

The legislation will provide tax credits and other assistance to 156,000 Vermont families and to more than 20,000 small businesses to help them afford coverage. It will extend coverage to 17,500 uninsured Vermonters and guarantee that 7,000 Vermonters with preexisting conditions will not be punished by their insurance companies. It will close the prescription drug "donut hole" for 106,000 Vermont seniors and extend the solvency of Medicare for a decade.

The legislation passed Sunday night prohibits discrimination based on gender, health status or preexisting condition, and it holds insurance companies responsible for keeping premiums manageable. It creates new, competitive health insurance marketplaces from which families and small businesses can buy affordable health insurance. It takes key steps toward replacing the fee-for-service model of health care system to one that incentivizes value, not volume.

Thanks to the leadership of Sen. Patrick Leahy, the legislation recognizes Vermont's early investment in expanding health coverage with an additional $100 million in Medicaid funding.

In addition to the health provisions included in the bill, H.R. 4872 incorporates much of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which was passed by the House in September 2009. The education provisions in the bill constitute the single largest investment in college financial aid in history, increasing Pell Grants by $36 billion over ten years and expanding the Perkins Loan program to every college in the country.

The education provisions are paid for by replacing for-profit lenders with direct loans to students and families. The Vermont delegation, following the lead of Sen. Bernie Sanders, included a provision that will ensure that Vermont's non-profit lender – the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation – will continue to issue loans and provide critical outreach services.

 

HCR

 

Rep. Welch's Work on Health Care Reform

Announcement on New Medical Loss Ratio Regulations

November 22, 2010

New regulations issued today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) require health insurers to spend 80 to 85 percent of consumers' premiums on direct care for patients and efforts to improve care quality. This regulation, known as the "medical loss ratio" provision of the Affordable Care Act, will make the insurance marketplace more transparent and make it easier for consumers to purchase plans that provide better value for their money.

Read More


Vt. Digger: "Vermont selected for federal health care project"

November 17, 2010

Vermont is one of eight states that has just been chosen to participate in a new federal health care demonstration project.

The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services has established an "innovation center," designed to encourage states to develop new ways of delivering and paying for health care under the Affordable Care Act just passed this year.

Read More


Vermont Picked for Project to Improve Patient Care

November 16, 2010

Vermont was one of eight states selected today by the federal government for a Medicare demonstration project to improve health care by basing payments to doctors and hospitals on the quality of patient care instead of the quantity of care, the state's congressional delegation announced.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said, "Vermont's selection ensures that our state will continue to lead in finding the best ways to reduce costs ... Read More


Medicare Announces Quality Bonus Payment Demonstration For Medicare Health Plans

November 12, 2010

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made three significant announcements today: (1) updated star plan ratings for 2011 Medicare health and drug plans, (2) a 3-year demonstration to provide Medicare Advantage plans financial incentives to provide high-quality care, and (3) proposed regulations to implement several provisions of the Affordable Care Act to strengthen and improve the Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug programs.

... Read More


VA Video Outreach Message Aimed at New Veterans

October 18, 2010

New TV Ad Encourages Veterans to Use Benefits

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is launching a new television advertisement encouraging Veterans to take full advantage of the VA benefits and services they have earned. The ad is one step in a robust outreach effort aimed at welcoming returning Servicemembers and easing their transition from military to Veteran status.

"VA is committed to reaching all Veterans to say 'thank yo... Read More


 
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