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May 2012 Archives
A rumor that the Supreme Court might rule on the health care case last week turned out to be just that. But, with the Court's decision drawing near, members of Congress have begun thinking about how they will react should the Court overturn the sprawling health care law. In the House, which has repeatedly voted to repeal the law, leadership says it remains committed to complete eradication, but some members have begun talking about the possibility of restoring some popular provisions.
If the Court overturns the law, what, if anything, should the Congress do next? What do you think they will do?
Unlike so much else in the 112th Congress, the package of legislation to authorize Food and Drug Administration user fee agreements is humming along. At a House markup last week, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., was one of many members who commended his colleagues for their ability to collaborate and compromise: "Consideration of this bill should be a model for legislative action," he said. The "UFA" legislation, as it's known, is nearly identical on the House and Senate sides, has passed through markups with nary a complaint, and looks set to pass months before the programs it reauthorizes are set to expire at the end of September.
In a session marked by so much partisan rancor, why are the UFA bills different? What can Congress learn from this process?
What role should employer-sponsored health insurance plans play in U.S. health care?
House Republicans have bashed the health reform law as the beginning of the end of the employer-sponsored health insurance market, since it would be less expensive for some employers to drop their plans and pay a fine to the federal government. The House Ways and Means committee released a report last week finding 71 of Fortune 100 companies could save $422 billion by simply paying fines for their employees, instead of the insurance plans they offer now.
But Republicans haven't been huge fans of employers dictating health insurance coverage for individuals in the past. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., proposed getting rid of the employer-sponsored health insurance tax exclusion in his failed 2008 presidential campaign, which could incentivize people to buy their own plans. Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2012, hasn't gone that far yet. But he does want to "equalize" the tax treatment of health insurance, giving individual buyers the same tax breaks that employees get on their employer health insurance.
Should people get their health insurance through their employers? What considerations should lawmakers take into account when writing policies that shape insurance coverage?
