[Oe List ...] Health Care -current state in Congress

[Ann Shafer]

Janice, Thank you so much for the helpful information from
HealthCareForAmericaNow.Org. We have a town meeting here on Thursday with
our very conservative congressman. I am planning to go with a letter written
that I can leave with his aids and a statement. I am also emailing others
who should be there. I am open to comments from anyone on what the best way
to attend this meeting and help bust the myths around this health care bill
are. Thanks. Ann Shafer in Fredericksburg Texas

 

  _____  

From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of Janice Ulangca
Sent: Sunday, August 30, 2009 11:38 PM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: [Oe List ...] Health Care -current state in Congress

 


 


Colleagues,

 

August 27 I attended a meeting where a representative of a national
coalition for healthcare reform gave a 2 hour power point presentation on
the bills currently in congress.  HCAN - Healthcare for America Now is a
coalition of liberal groups - unions, community organizations, Latino and
African American organizations, etc.  Their web site is
www.HealthCareForAmericaNow.org    What they stand for can be found by
clicking the About Us tab at the top.  Seems like a very good list to me.
Whether you agree with their positions or not, you might find the  page on
the current step of the legislative process useful.  They say they update
this page frequently - it was last updated August 26.  That version is
copied below.  Links to the full text of bills are on this page.

 

As you may know, there is no single health care bill now.  So there is no
definite bill to either support or oppose.  Things are moving fast, though.
So phone calls are important - stating what is important to you.  Lobbyists
are certainly active - we'd better be.

 

Janice Ulangca


----------------------------


>From the HCAN web site:


Completed Steps


Click on each completed step to see where we've been and what we've
accomplished towards our goal of winning quality, affordable health care for
all. 

Step 1: Initial Proposals 

Step 2: Committees Hold Hearings/Draft Legislation 


CURRENT STEP - Step 3: Committees Pass Legislation


Because health reform legislation is so complicated, five different
committees - three in the House and two in the Senate - are entitled to have
some say in the legislation. Each House and Senate committee in charge of
different parts of health care reform has been holding hearings and drafting
legislation. Committees consider their first draft, usually called the
Chairman's mark, in a process called "mark-up." During these committee
meetings, members propose changes to the Chairman's mark (amendments) and
then vote on final approval in their committee. The committees may consider
hundreds on amendments in the process. 


Once each committee completes its process, the two Senate committees will
combine their bills and work out any differences to bring one bill to the
Senate floor. The same process will be happening among the committees
working in the House. The committees involved in health care reform have
pledged to work together to minimize differences and make this process
easier.  

Where We Are Now 

In the Senate, the HELP Committee has passed a health reform bill (full
text, pdf) that includes a strong public health insurance option. (Click
herefor Health Care for America Now's statement on the HELP bill.) The
Finance Committee is expected to begin the markup process when they have
agreed on a starting draft. After both committees pass bills, they will be
combined together to be moved to the Senate floor for amendments by the
whole Senate and a full vote. 

In the House, the Chairmen of the three committees of juristiction - Ways
and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor - have released a
combined "tri-committee" bill. The bill meets all of Health Care for America
Now's principles (fact sheets, changes from House draft [pdf], committee
summery of the bill [pdf]). All three committees held hearings on the bill
draft in June and each are marking up the package now. Like in the Senate,
the committees will combine their bills into one package and take it to the
House floor for a vote. The House Ways and Means Committee (roll call),
Education and Labor Committee (roll call), and Energy and Commerce Committee
(roll call) have passed the health reform bill, HR 3200, and referred it to
the full House. 

When Congress gets back from recess on September 8th, the House will vote on
HR 3200. The Senate should also refer a bill to the floor for a vote around
the same time. Both committees in the Senate will have to vote out bills by
the October 15th reconciliation deadline to maintain the reconciliation
option. 

After both houses pass a bill, the House and Senate will resolve their
differences in "conference." When they agree to one bill, it goes back to
the Senate and House for final votes, then to president Obama for his
signature. 

 

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