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Comprehensive Health Care Reform Legislation In Congress
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act
****Updated November 19, 2009*******
The Majority Leader and the Chairmen of the
Senate Finance Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions (HELP) Committee have completed the process of
combining the Affordable Health Choices Act and America's
Healthy Futures Act to form the single health care reform
legislation that will be debated by the full Senate. The Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act will now come to the Senate
floor for debate as a substitute amendment to HR3590, the
Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009. Because the
health care reform legislation would raise revenue, the
Origination Clause of the Constitution requires that the bill
originate in the House of Representatives and therefore the
Senate will use HR3590 as a
shell bill, with health care
reform legislation offered as a substitute amendment. To learn
more about the process of shell bills I invite you to visit my
health care reform vocabulary website.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
now awaits consideration by the full Senate.
Full Text of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(PDF)
Letter from the Congressional Budget
Office to Majority Leader Harry Reid (PDF)
America's Healthy Future Act - Senate
Finance Committee
***UPDATED OCTOBER 26, 2009***
Recently, the Senate Finance Committee posted the
full legislative text of S.1796 the America's Healthy Future Act as well
as the Senate Finance Committee's report on the legislation. On October 13th the Senate Finance Committee voted
14-9 to pass the "America's Healthy Future Act," also known as the
Chairman's mark, out of Committee. The Congressional Budget
Office (CBO) released a cost estimate of the proposal, which outlines
both the cost of the measure and the savings to the national deficit.
The Senate Finance Committee successfully voted legislation out of
Committee, and will now combine their measure with the "Affordable
Health Choices Act," reported out by the Senate Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, to form one bill. This single,
combined bill will then be considered by the full Senate.
Full legislative text of S.1796, the America's
Healthy Future Act as well as a list of modified amendments accepted,
and a Committee report on the legislation is available on the Senate
Finance Committee website at
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/Americas_Healthy_Future_Act.html
Full Text of the Finance Committee Mark, the "America's Healthy Future Act," as
amended (PDF)
Senate Finance Committee Press Release and Summary of bill (PDF)
Text of technical corrections added on October 5, 2009 (PDF)
Letter from the Congressional Budget Office to Chairman Baucus (PDF)
For more information regarding the Senate Finance Committee efforts in
health care reform, please visit their website at
http://finance.senate.gov/
Affordable Health Choices Act
- Senate HELP Committee
Introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts,
the Affordable Health Choices Act was referred to the Senate Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for consideration.
After more than 56 hours of debate of nearly 300 amendments, this
legislation successfully passed out of the Senate HELP Committee by a
vote of 13 to 10.
The Affordable Health Choices Act now awaits a
conference with a Senate Finance Committee proposal before a single
combined legislation will receive consideration by the full Senate this
fall.
Full text of the Affordable Health Choices Act (PDF)
Section by Section Summary of the Affordable Health Choices Act
Senate HELP Committee website
Affordable Health Care For America Act,
HR3962 - House of Representatives
***UPDATED November 9, 2009***
On November 7, 2009, the House of Representatives
passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act, HR3962, by a vote of
220-215. This
legislation blends and updates the three previous versions of the bills
passed by the House Committee on Education and Labor, House Ways and
Means Committee, and House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The Senate Finance Committee is now in the
process of combining the America's Healthy Futures Act with the
Affordable Health Choices Act, reported out by the Senate
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, to form one
bill. Once that process is complete, a single, combined health
care reform bill will then be considered by the full Senate.
Check below for more information about this
legislation including section by section summaries, lists of
supporters, and frequently asked questions.
Full text of Affordable Health Care for America Act (PDF)
House Committees on Education and Labor
House Ways and Means Committee
House Energy and Commerce Committee
Health Care Reform Resources
Click here for a
side by side comparison (PDF) of the Senate HELP Committee's
Affordable Health Choices Act, the Senate Finance Committee's America's
Healthy Future Act, and the House Tri-Committee America's
Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, prepared by the non-partisan Henry J. Kaiser
Family Foundation.
For current news and reports regarding health care
reform, and ongoing efforts by the Obama Administration and Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius at the Department of Health and Human Services,
another resource is
healthreform.gov.
Another resource you might find useful to check
facts against emails you may have received or news stories is the White
House's new
Health Insurance Reform Reality Check.
This site is moderated; submission of an email does not guarantee that
it will be published. Questions and comments may also be edited for
length. Please include full name and town when sending comments.
Posted submissions will list first name and city or town only. Please
make a note if you do not wish to have your submission or name posted.
If you would like a direct response from
Senator Leahy regarding your health care concern please email him at
Senator_Leahy@leahy.senate.gov
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