Health Care Reform Bill Moves Through Committees

House leaders introduced the America's Affordable Health Choices Bill of 2009 (H.R. 3200) on July 14. The Bill is a trillion dollar health care overhaul that seeks to make health insurance available to all Americans. By July 17th, both the Education and Labor and the Ways and Means Committees had approved the Bill.

Part of the Bill proposes prohibiting the use of health savings accounts, health reimbursement arrangements, and flexible spending accounts for over-the-counter drugs. The Bill would, however, permit employers to allow their employees to include their same-sex or opposite-sex partners without including this cost in the employees' taxable income. A summary of the Bill is included here.

The American Medical Association, the AARP, and the AFL-CIO, among others, have endorsed the Bill, and the legislation has been praised by Democrats. Some Republicans, however, have criticized the Bill's affordability. Senator Michael B. Enzi of Wyoming, citing to its trillion dollar price tag, described the Bill as anything but affordable, despite its name.