AARP.org Health Care Reform and You - AARP

Congressional efforts to overhaul the nation’s health care system took a major step forward as the Senate began debating a 2,074-page proposal by Senate Democrats. Passage of the bill, however, is far from certain and weeks away. The bill, developed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., extends health care coverage to an estimated 31 million Americans who currently lack health insurance. Like the bill passed by the House Nov. 7, the Senate bill has a combination of requirements for both individuals and employers. It also provides subsidies for the poor and authorizes a public option—a government-run insurance plan—for uninsured or underinsured individuals. The Senate bill is largely financed by savings in future Medicare, Medicare Advantage plan and Medicaid spending. Those savings reduce spending by about 3 percent over 10 years, and lawmakers say they would not affect guaranteed Medicare benefits. To Read More (the Senate and House Bill are compared): http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/policy/articles/_health_care_reform....