Comparison of Current Pending Health Care Reform Legislation

Bucks Voices is carefully evaluating the bills before Congress to see how well each one addresses the Bucks Voices principles which citizens support to meet the vision of an inclusive, efficient, cost effective, and quality health care system for our country.

The Senate passed its bill on Dec. 24, 2009, and the House bill passed on Nov. 7, 2009. Legislation is now in the final conference stage to merge the two bills. Click here to see the comparison of the key provisions of the House and Senate bills prepared by the Tri-Committee House Staff. Click here to see a timeline for when the various parts of the bill will take effect compiled by The Association of Chief Human Resources Officers.

Click here to see a comparison of the key provisions of the two bills, based on summaries in the New York Times and the Washington Post. Chart prepared by Bucks Voice's researcher and analyst George Faulkner, November 23, 2009.

Click here for complete text of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Senate health insurance reform bill.

Click here to visit the 111th Congress "Hot" Page. As the health care reform debate proceeds on Capitol Hill, a number of documents have been released that provide information about the thinking of the President, Members of Congress, and other key stakeholders as they contemplate federal legislation.

Click here to visit an interactive web site to see how Health Care Reform wil affect you.

Click here to view a comparison chart prepared by George Faulkner. Chart prepared July 30, 2009.

Click here to see how the health care reform bills would affect you as an individual, health care provider, employer and insurance company. Chart prepared by George Faulkner August 6, 2009.

Click here to see The Baucus Bill: America's Healthy Future Act of 2009 by The Senate Committee on Finance released September 16, 2009.

 

Comparison of Reform Proposals

Over the past couple of years a number of politicians, think tanks, and others have proposed various solutions to reforming the health care system. Click here to view a table prepared by George Faulkner of the key differences among some of the major proposals.

 

Positions on Health Care Policy

Bucks Voices for Health Care Reform provides information on and links to positions on health care as a public service, and does not endorse or oppose a specific position.

Barack Obama
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Max Baucus
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John Conyers
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Mike Enzi
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Ted Kennedy / John Dingell
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Pete Stark
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Ron Wyden / Brian Baird
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Questions to Ask Candidates for Public Office

1.		Do you favor Universal Healthcare coverage? Please explain why or why not.
2.		Philosophically, do you view healthcare in the US as part of society’s common good like public education or police protection? Why or why not?
3.		What is your opinion about the individual’s responsibility in protecting one’s health? Would you favor incentives that motivate individuals to lead healthier lives?
4.		As healthy persons enhance our national productivity and health safety, do you agree that society has a responsibility to provide healthcare that promotes equality and fairness for all?
5.		Which would you favor: a healthcare policy that promotes health and prevents disease or a healthcare policy that focuses on treating disease first?
6.		Do you favor transparency and accountability in healthcare so people fully understand what the limits may be?
7.		Do you favor portability of individual healthcare coverage regardless of employment or residence within US territories?
8.		Will you support a healthcare policy that covers all essential aspects of care (prevention, emergency, acute, chronic, long term care, gender, dental health etc.) if this were feasible within current US healthcare spending dollars?
9.		In what ways do you think we can minimize administrative costs, currently a high percentage of our healthcare spending, so more of our healthcare dollars actually go to quality healthcare delivery and help control inflation?
10.		Would you favor a healthcare policy wherein out of pocket expenses are adjusted for family or individual income and regional cost of living?
11.		Would you support a national healthcare policy that includes proven scientific and appropriately tested methods to ensure high quality care is delivered and lowers the cost by limiting unnecessary tests?
12.		Would you support publicly funded privately administered healthcare?