GOP: ‘‘Affordable Health Care for America Act’’

The House GOP's Healthcare Alternative

Excerpt:

The CBO says the bill will actually cost $61 Billion over 10 years and it will reduce the federal deficit by $68 Billion. The bill will lower premiums by 8% for individuals, 10% for small businesses, and 3% for large companies that currently enjoy the cheapest plans.

Provisions:

• Each state will be required to create, or update to new standards, a high-risk pool for individuals to purchase insurance privately. Many starts already have such programs. The difference is that now premiums will be capped at 150% of the average standard premium in that state, preventive care must be covered, there can be no waiting lists at all, and illegal aliens need not apply (each of these reforms are not even mentioned in the House Democrat bill). The Feds will be offering $25 Billion to states to get these pools working.
  
• Insurance plans will not have zero annual or lifetime spending limits nationwide, and no plan can be unjustly revoked when someone gets sick or at any other time without an independent third party review of the reason. While such a review is pending, care will continue to be provided.
  
• Each state will be able to take its own innovative approach to health care reform (Federalism at work), and cash incentives of up to $50 Billion dollars over 10 years will be given to states that meet or exceed benchmarks for lowering premiums, health care costs, and the percentage of uninsured Americans. These cash incentives will be strictly performance based.
  
• Both intra-state and multi-state health plan “finders” will be created online that give all necessary cost and benefit information to consumers so that they can pick a plan right for them from anywhere in the country. This will help to spur competition.
  
• Allow small businesses to pool together for greater bargaining power
  
• Allow dependents to remain on their parent’s insurance plans until age 25.
  
• Allow companies to adopt auto-enrollment programs.
  
• Incentivize health savings accounts through tax credits for lower and middle income families
  
• Cap non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits to $250,000. According to the CBO this will shave $54 Billion off the deficit over 10 years.
  
• Expressly states that nothing in this bill can interfere with the Doctor-Patient relationship and even repeals the Federal Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research that was created in the Stimulus Package.
  
• Allow for incentives to companies who offer wellness programs
  
• Prohibiting taxpayer funded abortions and keeping conscience protections in place
  
• Create an approval pathway at the FDA for generic drugs to get them to market sooner
  

Comment: PDF of the proposal: Affordable Health Care for America Act

Highlighted in red are key provisions that are important to me!