A Health Care Reform “Check Up”

On November 6 2009, I blogged about an advocacy alert regarding H.R. 3962, the Affordable Healthcare for America Act. Here’s an update on H.R. 3962 and the health care reform bills before the Senate.

On November 7, 2009, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3962 by a vote of 220-215. With a margin this close, it is clear that every single phone call made to Congressional representatives was important.

H.R. 3962 expands Medicaid and increases Medicaid reimbursement rates, creates a government-run public health insurance option, and makes some improvements to Medicare Part D prescription drug provisions.

NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby has an overview of the major provisions of H.R. 3962 here.   If you prefer listening to your health care reform update to reading about it, go to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities website here and listen to their podcast, “Understanding the House Health Reform Bill”.

Now that the House of Representatives has approved their health care reform plan, it is up to the Senate to come up with a plan of their own. There are currently two different health care bills that have passed out of two Senate committees. The Senate can either try to reconcile those two bills, or they can start from scratch with a completely new bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is working to unite Senate members in time to hold a vote on the Senate bill before Christmas.

Stay tuned to the St. Anthony Foundation blog for more advocacy opportunities and updates on health care reform.   In the meantime, you can take this opportunity to contact your Senators through this nifty and easy-to-use form on the NETWORK: A Catholic Social Justice Lobby website.