Did the PO just get put in?

[sjdnb]

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/bicps/reconciliation_bill_gets_approved_by_congressand/

The full text of the bill is available at thomas.loc.gov, HR 4872.
Snippet of Section 221
Establishment and Administration of a Public Health Insurance Option as an Exchange-Qualified Health Benefits Plan.
(a) Establishment – For years beginning with Y1, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall provide for the offering of an Exchange-participating health benefits plan that ensures choice, competition, and stability of affordable, high quality coverage throughout the United States in accordance with this subtitle. In designing the option, the Secretary’s primary responsibility is to create a low cost plan without compromising quality of access to care.
(b) Offering as an Exchange-Participating Health Benefits Plan.
The public health insurance option shall only be made available through the Health Insurance Exchange.
The Public Option shall ensure a level playing field.
The Public Option shall offer basic, enhanced, and premium plans.

I'm searching Thomas now, but maybe someone knows already?

[mirrera]

1. Dream? Come true?

[Windy]

2. That is in the reconciliation bill????? The one that just got passed?

If so, the repubs apparently were so consumed with amendments that they didn't catch it....

[sjdnb]

3. MSNBC Saying No

Can someone help me figure out a way to search for/or search for themselves Sect 221 of H.R.4872?

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. Try this site;

It is a link to the Bill Text...leads to Rules.House.gov
AND
below is a link to section by section of the bill.
the link will open up into pdf.

uhhh....ooopsie......

here is the link:
http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/legislation?id=0361

[mucifer]

4. I'm sure there is no public option in today's bill

[Hepburn]

5. Looks to me like just the insurance exchange and this is...

...referred to as a public option.

[ecstatic]

6. if so, let's keep quiet about it... The repugs don't need to know about it

It'll be our little secret.

[truedelphi]

19. No the RW talking heads were talking about how absolutely awful

The insurance exchanges happen to be. And how the repeal of this bill must come about.

It is absolutely wonderful if the insurance exchanges did get in.

[frazzled]

7. No.

I know process isn't supposed to be important, but you do know that the House could not change any of the reconciliation bill the Senate passed earlier today without it having to go back to the Senate (just as the Senate could not change the fixes the House made and sent to it for reconciliation).

So, no. There is no public option in this bill, though there has always been the stipulation in the Senate bill that the states can form their own public options for the exchanges.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

8. Sure looks like HHS has some flexibility at least. Very interesting.

[grantcart]

9. Here's the link to the bill

edit

for some reason the links don't work to the sections

here is the link to the reconciliation bill you have to go to the section 221 by clicking through

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.4872:


SEC. 221. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF A PUBLIC HEALTH INSURANCE OPTION AS AN EXCHANGE-QUALIFIED HEALTH BENEFITS PLAN.

(a) Establishment- For years beginning with Y1, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this subtitle referred to as the `Secretary') shall provide for the offering of an Exchange-participating health benefits plan (in this subdivision referred to as the `public health insurance option') that ensures choice, competition, and stability of affordable, high quality coverage throughout the United States in accordance with this subtitle. In designing the option, the Secretary's primary responsibility is to create a low-cost plan without compromising quality or access to care.

(b) Offering as an Exchange-participating Health Benefits Plan-

(1) EXCLUSIVE TO THE EXCHANGE- The public health insurance option shall only be made available through the Health Insurance Exchange.

(2) ENSURING A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD- Consistent with this subtitle, the public health insurance option shall comply with requirements that are applicable under this title to an Exchange-participating health benefits plan, including requirements related to benefits, benefit levels, provider networks, notices, consumer protections, and cost sharing.

(3) PROVISION OF BENEFIT LEVELS- The public health insurance option--

(A) shall offer basic, enhanced, and premium plans; and

(B) may offer premium-plus plans.

(c) Administrative Contracting- The Secretary may enter into contracts for the purpose of performing administrative functions (including functions described in subsection (a)(4) of section 1874A of the Social Security Act) with respect to the public health insurance option in the same manner as the Secretary may enter into contracts under subsection (a)(1) of such section. The Secretary has the same authority with respect to the public health insurance option as the Secretary has under subsections (a)(1) and (b) of section 1874A of the Social Security Act with respect to title XVIII of such Act. Contracts under this subsection shall not involve the transfer of insurance risk to such entity.

(d) Ombudsman- The Secretary shall establish an office of the ombudsman for the public health insurance option which shall have duties with respect to the public health insurance option similar to the duties of the Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman under section 1808(c)(2) of the Social Security Act.

(e) Data Collection- The Secretary shall collect such data as may be required to establish premiums and payment rates for the public health insurance option and for other purposes under this subtitle, including to improve quality and to reduce disparities in health and health care based on race, ethnicity, primary language, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, socioeconomic status, rural, urban, or other geographic setting, and any other population or subpopulation as determined appropriate by the Secretary, but only if the data collection is conducted on a voluntary basis and consistent with the standards, including privacy protections, established pursuant to section 1709 of the Public Health Service Act.

(f) Treatment of Public Health Insurance Option- With respect to the public health insurance option, the Secretary shall be treated as a QHBP offering entity offering an Exchange-participating health benefits plan.

(g) Access to Federal Courts- The provisions of Medicare (and related provisions of title II of the Social Security Act) relating to access of Medicare beneficiaries to Federal courts for the enforcement of rights under Medicare, including with respect to amounts in controversy, shall apply to the public health insurance option and individuals enrolled under such option under this title in the same manner as such provisions apply to Medicare and Medicare beneficiaries.

SEC. 222. PREMIUMS AND FINANCING.

(a) Establishment of Premiums-

(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall establish geographically-adjusted premium rates for the public health insurance option in a manner--

(A) that complies with the premium rules established by the Commissioner under section 113 for Exchange-participating health benefit plans; and

(B) at a level sufficient to fully finance the costs of--

(i) health benefits provided by the public health insurance option; and

(ii) administrative costs related to operating the public health insurance option.

(2) CONTINGENCY MARGIN- In establishing premium rates under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall include an appropriate amount for a contingency margin.

(b) Account-

(1) ESTABLISHMENT- There is established in the Treasury of the United States an Account for the receipts and disbursements attributable to the operation of the public health insurance option, including the start-up funding under paragraph (2). Section 1854(g) of the Social Security Act shall apply to receipts described in the previous sentence in the same manner as such section applies to payments or premiums described in such section.

(2) START-UP FUNDING-

(A) IN GENERAL- In order to provide for the establishment of the public health insurance option there is hereby appropriated to the Secretary, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $2,000,000,000. In order to provide for initial claims reserves before the collection of premiums, there is hereby appropriated to the Secretary, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as necessary to cover 90 days worth of claims reserves based on projected enrollment.

(B) AMORTIZATION OF START-UP FUNDING- The Secretary shall provide for the repayment of the startup funding provided under subparagraph (A) to the Treasury in an amortized manner over the 10-year period beginning with Y1.

(C) LIMITATION ON FUNDING- Nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing any additional appropriations to the Account, other than such amounts as are otherwise provided with respect to other Exchange-participating health benefits plans.

[grantcart]

10. No this bill was tabled

H.R.4872
Title: Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
Sponsor: Rep Spratt, John M., Jr. (introduced 3/17/2010) Cosponsors (None)
Related Bills: H.RES.1203, H.R.3590
Latest Major Action: 3/25/2010 Senate floor actions. Status: Motion by Senator Roberts to commit to Senate Committee on Finance with instructions tabled in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 59 - 37. Record Vote Number: 86.
House Reports: 111-443
Note: The bill makes a number of health-related financing and revenue changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act enacted by H.R.3590 and modifies federal higher education funding provisions.

[Windy]

12. It was tabled due to the pell grant funding and sent back to the house...

That doesnt tell me that that section of the bill was struck...

[sjdnb]

13. Ok, still cant find full text, but

HR4827 Section II has a section titled "Public Option" and shows as passed "P"
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR04872:@@@L&summ2=m&#summary

[grantcart]

15. Passed the House on 3/17

Latest Major Action: 3/25/2010 Senate floor actions. Status: Motion by Senator Roberts to commit to Senate Committee on Finance with instructions tabled in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 59 - 37. Record Vote Number: 86.

[sjdnb]

17. Thanks to a Redditor, I found this

But, still so unclear as to actually know what it means.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/~c1112Qrulo:e1190:

(go to sect 221 ... I don't see anything that limits the gov't for offering a PO as part of the Exchange)

"(f) Treatment of Public Health Insurance Option- With respect to the public health insurance option, the Secretary shall be treated as a QHBP (Qualified Health Benefit Plan) offering entity offering an Exchange-participating health benefits plan."

I've been reading bills for years, but have never been this confused.

[grantcart]

14. it was table and sent to the Senate committee

this is not the bill that was sent to the House ( I think)

Note that the motion to table was made by Republican Senator Roberts and passed.

[sabrina 1]

16. If you read it as 'Public Health' option

it might just be referring to the whole policy of health care provisions for the public? Don't know, but I would be celebrating with them if it really was a PO.

[jeanpalmer]

18. Looks like that was just a report

to the House out of a House Committee on March 17.

If you go to the following link, click on the "H.R.4872: Reconciliation Act of 2010" link at the top-middle of the page. It takes you to a second page where there is a link to "Text of Legislation." Click on that link and it takes you to a third page that links 3 version of 4872. The first link, the one that's described as "Reported in House," is the one that contains the PO you reference. Looks like it went nowhere. The second link is described as "Engrossed as Agreed to or Passed by House" and the third as "Placed on Calendar in Senate." These are what passed the House and went to the Senate -- I assume they're identical. Neither the second nor the third contains the PO provision. http://thomas.loc.gov/

What does "Reported in the House" mean? "This phrase accompanies a committee's report of its findings and recommendations to the parent house after it has examined a bill. The version of the bill as reported includes changes, if any, that have been recommended by the committee." http://www.gpoaccess.gov/bills/glossary.html

I saw the PO reference a fews days ago before the final vote in the House and had the same thought. Then later, 4872 "as passed" was posted and it was a completely different document and had no reference to the PO.