Update: The House of Representatives passed the Affordable Health Care for America Act Saturday night with a tight vote of 220-215. To learn more about this recent event click here.
Yesterday, both AARP and the American Medicare Association announced their support of the health care reform bill that will soon be voted on in the House of Representatives. Though AARP has been losing members over its endorsement of the Democrat –only supported bill, it still remains a powerful lobby with over 40 million seniors a part of its organization. According to the Associated Press, AARP Senior Policy Adviser John Rother said the organization supports the bill as it closes the coverage gap in Medicare prescription benefits, strictly limits what health insurers can charge older workers too young for Medicare, and creates a voluntary, long-term care insurance program.
The AMA acknowledged that the bill is far from perfect, but determined that the bill’s pros far outweigh the cons. The biggest point of criticism from the AMA is that the bill doesn't change the current Medicare payment formula which it says will lead to a 20% doctor pay cut in 2010. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network is another group that also announced its support for the bill.
As mentioned before, the issue over whether federal funds can be used to pay for abortions is a divisive issue among Democrats in the House and threatens the bill’s passing. Democrat leaders say the issue will be resolved soon and there is a proposal now being considered that they believe will gain all of the party’s buy-in. The current proposal essentially prohibits the use of federal money for abortions, while allowing individuals on the public plan to pay for abortion coverage using their own money. Details are currently being ironed out on how the government can ensure that its subsidies will not be used to pay for abortions.
Another major issue that threatens the passing of the bill is illegal immigration. As it stands, illegal immigrants are prohibited from receiving federal subsidies, but the point of contention is over whether illegal immigrants can purchase insurance through the proposed government exchanges using their own money. The White House opposes this, while major Hispanic organizations such as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and other Democrats in the House believe it should be allowed.
UPDATE: Many of you want more information as to why these two organizations are supporting the bill. To learn more about each organization's respective decisions I've added a link to each organization's official press release:
American Medical Association Press Release: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/health-system-reform/ama-supports-house-bills.shtml
AARP Press Release: http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/policy/articles/health_care_reform7.html |