Now that the Senate has passed the procedural vote to pass the health-care bill, it's time to look at what we're actually getting, since we're not getting the public option (which sort of seemed like the whole point). There is, if you haven't been following the ins and outs, a lot to potentially be happy about, especially if you have bad insurance right now: Here's a breakdown:
Besides subsidizing coverage, it would create a new mechanism for purchasing insurance that would give greater buying power to people who now purchase policies individually and through small employers. It would eliminate pre-existing condition exclusions. It would enable people to buy policies at the same price regardless of their health (albeit with some allowance for differences in age).
There is a lively discussion going on among various policy wonks at TPM about the various provisions in the bill, and whether it is actually a viable health-care reform package or simply window dressing since the public option failed.
Share on Facebook
