December 2009 Congressional Action on Health Reform: Key Bill Updates and Costs
In December 2009, Congress advanced health reform legislation, with the House approving a bill on November 7 and the Senate scheduled to vote for final passage on December 24. Key issues include potential "ping-ponging" of the bill and cost comparisons between the House ($1.052 trillion) and Senate ($871 billion), both fully offset over ten years. The proposals aim to expand coverage, with significant reductions in hospital funding. Notably, Medicare physician payment cuts remain unaddressed, reflecting ongoing challenges in healthcare reform.
December 2009 Congressional Action on Health Reform: Key Bill Updates and Costs
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Presentation Transcript
Federal Update December 21, 2009
House Approved reform bill on November 7 Senate Vote for final passage scheduled on December 24 Process Option 1 Option 2 Alternatively, a bill approved by either chamber could be “ping-ponged” between each chamber until an identical bill is passed by both.
House: Cost = $1.052 trillion. Fully offset over ten years. * Senate: Cost = $871 billion. Fully offset over ten years. * Major Financing Components * Reflects gross cost of coverage expansions based on Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scores.
House: $258 billion over ten years. Senate: $238 billion over ten years. Hospital and Health System Reductions House and Senate are generally consistent on the level of inpatient hospital cuts, with approximately $155 billion in Medicare and Medicaid reductions over ten years.
Key Issue Not Fully Addressed in Reform: Medicare Physician Payment Cut
