The Power of A

Before the House left for the August district work period on Friday, the Energy & Commerce Committee became the fourth Congressional committee to pass comprehensive health care legislation (subscription).  However, the bill passed after a series of amendments negotiated between a number of Democratic caucuses, meaning a long month of merging the committee bills by the House leadership.

Amendments of note that were approved included:

-          The Baldwin amendment to specify rules for electronic medical transactions (approved 32-26).

-          The Eshoo amendment to give biologics companies 12 years of exclusive marketing of their products (approved 47-11).

-          The Ross amendment (aka the compromise) that increases the number of small businesses exempt from an employer mandate from those with payrolls below $250,000 to $500,000, allows for the creation of health care co-ops, and saves $100 billion from the overall bill (approved 33-26).

-          The Schakowsky amendment that prevents insurance companies in the exchange from raising premium costs faster than medical inflation (approved 32-23).

Amendments of note that were not approved included:

-          The Barton amendment to create a Health Care Information Transparency Office with oversight similar to the Security and Exchange Commission (failed 18-28).

-          The Radanovich amendment to subject the public plan to state taxes (failed 23-35).

-          The Terry amendment to allow the uninsured to participate in the federal government health care plan instead of the exchange (failed 28-31).

Committee Democrats also told the press that Speaker Pelosi had promised an up-or-down vote on a single-payer health care bill on the floor of the House during the health care debate.

Do you think the changes to the Energy & Commerce bill improve it?

Quick Hits

Associations that work together through the Coalition on Human Needs honored their executive director (subscription)… Congressional Democrats plan their message for the month-long August break… Administration officials do not close the door on a health care middle class tax increase, but say unlikely… Senator Rockefeller publicly questions the co-op proposal.