Comparing the bills
Summaries of the healthcare overhaul measure three House committees worked on yesterday and the bill passed Wednesday by the Senate health committee:
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◼Who’s covered
House: About 94 percent of non-elderly residents (those not covered by Medicare, which takes effect kicks in at age 65), compared with 81 percent today.
Senate: Aims to cover 97 percent of Americans.
◼Cost
House: About $1.5 trillion over 10 years.
Senate: About $615 billion over 10 years, but is only one piece of a larger Senate bill.
◼Financing
House: $544 billion from a new income tax surcharge on single people making $280,000 or more a year and on couples making $350,000 and above; about $500 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid; about $200 billion from penalties paid by individuals and employers who don’t obtain coverage.
Senate: Undetermined; Senate Finance Committee is responsible for financing.
◼Requirements for individuals
House: Must have insurance, enforced through tax penalty of 2.5 percent of income. Some hardship waivers available.
Senate: Similar provisions.
◼Requirements for employers
House: Must provide insurance to their employees or pay a penalty of 8 percent of payroll. Companies with payroll under $250,000 annually are exempt.
Senate: Employers who don’t offer coverage pay a penalty of $750 a year for each full-time worker. Businesses with 25 or fewer workers are exempted.
◼Subsidies
House: Individuals and families with annual income up to 400 percent of poverty level ($88,000 for a family of four) would get help buying coverage.
Senate: Similar provisions.
◼Choosing insurance
House: Through a new Health Insurance Exchange open to individuals and, initially, small employers. States could operate exchanges if they follow federal rules.
Senate: Individuals and small businesses could buy insurance through state-based purchasing pools.
◼Public insurance plan
House: New Public plan available through the insurance exchanges would be set up and run by the secretary of health and human services. On average, it would pay Medicare rates plus 5 percent to doctors.
Senate: New public plan to compete with private insurers that would be run by the government, but would pay doctors and hospitals based on what private insurers now pay.
◼Benefits
House: Preventive services, mental health services, oral heath, and vision for children. Out-of pocket costs would be capped, and insurers would be barred from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
Senate: Similar provisions.
Associated Press
