Health Care Reform Update – 10/29/2009

On October 29, 2009, Democratic leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced their long-awaited health care reform bill. Initial projections reflected a cost of nearly $900 billion over 10 years. Subsequent reports projected costs of at least $1.2 trillion over 10 years. After some additional changes, it appears that the bill may come to the House floor for a vote as early as Saturday, November 7. The House bill, all 1990 pages of it, can be accessed at the following website: waysandmeans.house.gov.

In the meantime, Senate progress is stalled at this point. In fact, several media outlets reported on November 3 that Majority Leader Reid had suggested that the Senate may not be able to meet the end of the year deadline; however, Senator Reid's office later denied these reports and renewed the commitment to pass legislation by Christmas. We will continue to keep you informed of developments via posts on this site.

If you have more questions about Health Care Reform, you can contact Greg Pemberton, Kevin Woodhouse or Sarah Cotterill, or any other member of Ice Miller's Health Law Practice Group.

This publication is intended for general information purposes only and does not and is not intended to constitute legal advice.  The reader must consult with legal counsel to determine how laws or decisions discussed herein apply to the reader's specific circumstances.