Obama's stance on issues in health care bills

Major issues involved and where Obama stands.

PUBLIC OPTION

A government-backed insurance plan could be created to compete with private insurers. If so, it would be similar to Medicare or a privately operated cooperative. A public option is included in the House bill and one Senate version of the legislation.

What Obama has said: "If we have a public option in there, that can help keep insurers honest. It can provide a benchmark for what an affordable, basic plan should look like." — Aug. 20

MANDATES

Both bills pending in the House and Senate include a requirement that individuals purchase health insurance, just as states require people to buy car insurance. The bills also would require most companies to offer health insurance to employees or pay a fine.

What Obama has said: "If you refuse to provide any health insurance for your employees at all, then we are going to ask you to make a contribution to help make sure those employees have health insurance." — Aug. 15


HELP FOR UNINSURED

Subsidies to help low-income people purchase health insurance are included in the Senate and House bills. The House bill, for example, would offer subsidies for individuals making less than $43,320 a year and families of four earning less than $88,200 a year.
What Obama has said: "What we want to do is to give them a menu of options that they can choose from, and then a little bit of help in terms of making their premiums more affordable." — Aug. 20

INSURANCE RULES

In House and Senate bills, insurers would be prohibited from denying coverage to patients because of pre-existing conditions, or dropping patients once they get sick. The bills also would stop insurance companies from imposing annual and lifetime caps on how much they pay out.
What Obama has said: "We're putting in place a whole bunch of insurance reforms that regulate the behavior of insurance companies. ... You should be able to keep your health insurance if you get sick or you lose your job or you change jobs." — Aug. 20

REDUCING COSTS

Both bills would create pilot programs to study medical treatments to pinpoint the most cost-effective care. Savings also could come from prevention and wellness programs and expanded electronic record-keeping by doctors and hospitals, Obama has said.
What Obama has said: "Because of the cost-savings measures that we're putting in place — for example, making sure that prevention and wellness is covered — we're actually going to reduce the costs of health care overall over the long term." — Aug. 20

HOW TO FUND IT

Obama has said Medicare savings would be found by eliminating waste and cutting payments to a program that lets seniors buy coverage from private insurers. The House bill imposes new taxes targeted at high earners. Senators are considering a tax on expensive insurance plans.
What Obama has said: "What I've proposed was that we would pay for it by having people over $250,000 a year have their itemized deductions go to the same rate as everybody else's — 28%." — Aug. 20

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