Senate Begins Health Care Debate, Progress Slow

This week the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee began the process of working through the 600 page draft health care reform bill.  The process began slowly and many Republican Senators are hung up on the preliminary cost estimate of the bill, which the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates will increase the federal budget deficit over the next ten years by $1 trillion. The agency added that the bill would leave 37 million Americans uninsured over that time.  The Committee had attempted to begin the multi-week review of the legislation with the less controversial components, however the costs of the program continues to dominate the debate. The committee has yet to address or offer draft legislation of a public plan or an employer mandate, which are expected to be the most contentious issues. The Senate Finance Committee intended to begin debating their own version of health care reform legislation, however, leaders have delayed the debate until after the July 4th break. Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) will focus time on reining in the cost of the bill from a projected $1.6 trillion to under $1 trillion prior to working on the legislation.  It is expected that the Senate Finance Committee may produce the most bipartisan proposal of the ones Congress is contemplating. In the House, the three committees of jurisdiction, Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce and Education and Labor Committees, are planning to release their own draft legislation as early as late this week followed by hearings next week.  It is expected that the three committee proposal will require Americans to have health care coverage and a public option. This week AGC sent a letter to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee outlining some issues to consider during the health care debate. Click here to view the letter.