From the Blog: Health Care Overhaul Legislation Passes the House

Legislation to overhaul the health care system in the United States passed the House of Representative late last night. The known costs of the two bills add up to about $7,900 in spending per U.S. family, but the real cost may be about $20,000. Read about it in a post entitled: “The Costs of the Health Care Bills.”

(forward to a friend)

Featured Items

In an extraordinary weekend session ending Sunday night, the House of Representatives passed a pair of bills that combine to overhaul the health care system in the United States.

The House first took up H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This is a bill the Senate passed late last year (in an extraordinary Christmas eve session).

Its provisions weren’t satisfactory to the House, but the election of Republican Scott Brown to represent Massachusetts in the Senate prevented the Senate taking up the health care legislation again.

House leadership thus chose to use a special kind of bill used in the budget process to alter the Senate-passed bill. (See the post, “What is “Deeming,” Anyway? The Health Care Debate,” for details.)

This second bill is called H.R. 4872, the Reconciliation Act of 2010. It goes to the Senate this week, where its passage will complete the overhaul of health care.

H.R. 3590
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Costs $7,269.18 per family

H.R. 4872
The Reconciliation Act of 2010
Costs $600.75 per family

What People Think

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 18% For, 82% Against Vote on this Bill

The Reconciliation Act of 2010 23% For, 77% Against Vote on this Bill

Displayed below are new, updated, and passed items with their cost or savings per family.

New Items

H.R. 4872
The Reconciliation Act of 2010
Costs $600.75 per family

H.R. 4849
The Small Business and Infrastructure Jobs Tax Act of 2010
Costs $640.92 per family

H.R. 4851
The Continuing Extension Act of 2010
Costs $60.39 per family

H.R. 1879
The National Guard Employment Protection Act of 2009
Costs $0.00 per family

H.R. 3976
The Helping Heroes Keep Their Homes Act of 2009
Costs $0.08 per family

H.R. 3954
The Florida National Forest Land Adjustment Act of 2009
Costs $0.00 per family

H.R. 4810
The End Veteran Homelessness Act of 2010
Costs $5.25 per family

H.R. 4592
To provide for the establishment of a pilot program to encourage the employment of veterans in energy-related positions
Costs $0.26 per family

H.R. 4667
The Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2010
Costs $12.53 per family

Updated Items

H.R. 3590
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Costs $7,269.18 per family

Passed Items

P.L. 111-146
The Trademark Technical and Conforming Amendment Act of 2010

P.L. 111-147
The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act
Costs $78.03 per family