Senator Chris Dodd chairs the Senate HELP committee markup of the Health Reform Bill
The Senate Heath, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee debated wellness and preventive care amendments to the Affordable Health Choices Act (AHCA) today, more than a week after Senate Democrats first unveiled the controversial bill. The AHCA calls for health insurance mandates and an optional government-run health insurance program.
Debate continued to focus on the bill’s costs and possible sources of funding. The Congressional Budget Office has yet to complete its analysis of the bill, but Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., remains confident that the AHCA will make it to the Senate floor by the end of the week.
Hearings on the House proposal for health care reform began today. The 825-page draft bill, entitled “The Tri-Committee Draft Proposal for Health Care Reform,” was written by the House committees on Education and Labor, Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce. The House proposal, like the Senate proposal, includes a government-run public insurance option and mandates for employers and individuals.
Several panelists providing testimony before the House Energy and Commerce committee cited public health plans in Canada, the United Kingdom, and several U.S. states and argued that the draft bill was a step toward a statist single payer system, a claim subcommittee democrats were quick to deny.
The House Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce will reconvene on Wednesday to hear testimony from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
In a news conference earlier today, President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to immediate action on health care reform.
“Unless we act, premiums will climb higher, benefits will erode further, and the rolls of uninsured will swell to include millions more Americans,” Obama said.
Staff Reporter Travis Reed contributed to this report.
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June 29th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Chris Dodd is such a corrupt and arrogant politician, it makes my stomach hurt. He and Rep. Larsen from Hartford, CT are mutally back-scratching liars who ignore their constituents – I being one of them. Seriously, they keep repeating the same lines over and over, even though their policies have clearly failed. Why? Follow the money.
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