TPMDC reported that the deal on the health insurance bill between the House and the Senate is imminent.
Two of the House's most influential chairmen say that health care negotiations between the House, Senate, and President Obama have come so far, that they'll be ready to send a package to Congressional scorekeepers this weekend.
Congress Daily caught up with Rep. George Miller (D-CA)--chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee--and Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)--chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee--who both acknowledged that a compromise could be just around the corner.
There's more in a prior article by TPMDC:
The Senate and the White House have proposed to pay for the legislation by taxing expensive insurance plans--a policy that generates considerable savings, but draws the ire of progressives and organized labor because it would ensnare the benefits of middle class workers. Yesterday, one of the architects of the House bill, who opposes the so-called "Cadillac insurance tax," says it can be modified to lessen the impact on workers and the middle class--and that could seal the deal.
"It would be a way to lessen impact of the so-called excise tax," Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ) said yesterday. "I think we could build a consensus around that idea--a majority around that idea."
Separately, Democrats have to figure out whether new insurance exchanges will be organized and regulated at the federal or state level. House Democrats want insurance markets to meet strict federal standards, while the Senate leaves it up to the states. Obama has reportedly signaled in private that he prefers the House method, but according to House members and aides, the compromise language on the table isn't good enough--yet.
"I've seen language," Andrews said. But it's not where he wants it to be, and House aides agree that leadership wants to see more deference given to the House on this issues.
That modification that Rep. Andrews talks about would be exempting union health plans that are done under collective bargaining. If true, that still would present a problem for the rest of the working class. I've more information on this from other news sources such as the Huffington Postbelow that seem to say otherwise:
A revised version of the so-called "Cadillac tax" would exempt holders of health-care policies that were negotiated through collective bargaining, meaning that union workers wouldn't get hit. But in a sign of how much labor leaders have dug in their heels, they are also pushing to exempt non-union workers who earn less than $200,000 a year. In addition, negotiators are also working out a separate compromise that could exempt state and municipal employees in right-to-work states.
"This is not simply just a deal for unions," said one of the sources briefed on the conversations. "This will take the burden off middle-class individuals as well."
Combined, the concessions on the Cadillac tax would represent a major victory for the union community -- though a source cautioned that an agreement was "close but not there yet." Labor leaders are set to head back to the White House on Thursday for further discussions.
All these new exemption, however, would require negotiators to find a way to make up for lost revenue. So far, discussions have centered around a small tax on the wealthy -- a watered-down version of the House's preferred way of funding reform. But there are other possibilities on the table, one of the sources said.
And as for the national exchange--the Democrats in the House really want it over the state-based exchanges, but there could be one problem---Aenator Ben Nelson who prefers state-based exchanges instead.
Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, is a former governor, state insurance commissioner and insurance executive who strongly favors the state approach. His support is considered critical to the passage of any health care bill.
And here's Timothy Jost from the same article:
Others are more wary of the Senate legislation. Putting the states in charge of enforcing federal law "is going to be a disaster," said Timothy S. Jost, a law professor at Washington and Lee University, who recently wrote about the issue in The New England Journal of Medicine.
One of Mr. Jost’s main concerns is that the states will not be given enough money for their new responsibilities.
"There are going to be significant enforcement costs," he said. And while the Senate bill would provide money for the creation of the exchanges, he predicts there will be no continuing flow of federal money to help the states monitor insurers year to year, resulting in what he describes as an unfunded mandate.
Health Care For America Now! are making calls against the excise tax, and if you're against the excise tax, please pick up the phone and CALL Congress today!
That's why it's crucial to let Congress know how you feel about the excise tax today. Click here to call them and give them a piece of your mind.
There is still time to finish reform right and fix this bill in conference. Will we get national Exchanges that protect consumers? Will we close a gaping Senate bill loophole that could allow insurers to charge more if you are sick? Will we make health care affordable at work by asking employers to pitch in their fair share? These issues are important, and they're worth fighting for.
So please, pick up the phone and talk to your elected officials. Click here to call.
UPDATE: From Bloomberg:
Jan. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The White House and labor union leaders have reached a tentative agreement to resolve a dispute over taxing health benefits, an official of the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor organization, said.
The agreement would raise the threshold at which the tax would be applied to health plans, said Gerry Shea, the AFL-CIO’s chief health-care negotiator.
....
Two House aides said the agreement on the so-called Cadillac tax on high-end insurance plans would increase the value of health benefits hit by the levy to $24,000 for families, from $23,000 in the current Senate legislation.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was among the labor leaders who negotiated the accord with the White House past midnight, Shea said.