Article preview from "The Pink Sheet" July 7, 2009
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee's health reform bill establishes a public insurance option administered by HHS, which would negotiate rates directly with providers, including drug firms, according to senior committee staff. Read more...
Article preview from "The Pink Sheet" July 7, 2009
The bill states that "the [HHS] Secretary shall negotiate rates for the reimbursement of health care providers for benefits covered under a community health insurance option."
In directing HHS to bargain for drug prices under the new public plan, the HELP bill is aligned with draft legislation unveiled recently by three House committees. The HELP bill is endorsed by all 13 Democrats on the committee and was welcomed by President Obama in a July 2 statement.
The description of the public plan is one of two key coverage provisions - the other is an employer mandate - that were left blank in an earlier draft circulated in June and filled in on July 2. The provisions are expected to cost the federal government approximately $611 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
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