Third House Committee Passes Health Reform Bill

On July 31, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved, 31-28, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 (H.R. 3200), after adopting a substitute amendment by Chair Henry Waxman (D-CA), by voice vote. The substitute amendment would require any government-run health plans (sometimes called the “public option”) to negotiate payment rates with providers rather than reimburse at Medicare rates plus five percent. The substitute amendment also would exempt businesses with payrolls below $500,000 from the employer mandate. The committee began marking up the measure on July 16; the House Ways and Means and Education and Labor Committees approved their portions of the measure on July 17 (see The Source, 7/17/09). The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee approved its version of health care reform (as-yet-unnumbered) on July 15 (see The Source, 7/17/09).

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