BREAKING: House Bill Looks Good (So Far)

By Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic

The three House committees writing health care legislation have just released the full text of their bill. And my immediate, admittedly tentative reaction is strongly positive. Once fully implemented, this reform plan will accomplish most of the goals on my mental checklist:

• Generous subisidies, available to people making up to 400 percent of the poverty line
• Expansion of Medicaid to cover people making less than 133 percent of the poverty line
• Guarantees of solid benefits for everybody, with limits on out-of-pocket spending
  
• Strong regulation of insurers, including requirements that insurers provide insurance to people with pre-existing conditions without higher rates
• An individual mandate, so that everybody (or what passes for everybody in these discussions) gets into the system and assumes some financial responsibility
• A public plan, one that appears to be strong, although I'll reserve judgment on that until I hear from the experts
  
• Choice of public and private plan, at first just for individuals and small businesses, but later for larger businesses and--possibly--eventually for everybody
• Efforts at payment reform, if not necessarily as strong as they could be
  
• Investment in primary care and prevention, which is not sexy but potentially important for general health .

Rest of article at: http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_treatment/archive/2009/07/14/breaking-house-bill-good-wish-it-could-happen-quicker.aspx

Another article briefly explains major parts of bill, with links to an official press release, with links to summary sheets about each component: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/07/the_house_releases_its_health-.html