I too would like to have seen something different, but I am realistic and pragmatic enough to know what was achievable.
And this bill will help millions of American, both currently insured and uninsured and hold insurance companies more accountable.
Among the best provisions:
For the insured:
end the practice of insurance companies denying coverage to anyone with pre-existing conditions.
prevent insurance companies from raising rates or dropping coverage for those who suddenly face a serious illness.
cap annual out-of-pocket expenses so that no one faces significant unanticipated expenses or goes bankrupt as a result of a medical crisis.
drop all copays for preventive care.
ends any existing lifetime caps on what insurance companies will currently pay.
For the uninsured:create a new Insurance Exchange with a range of options (and relative costs)
provide affordability credits to help those most in need and tax credits to help small businesses buy insurance on the Exchange
a Public Option (albeit a weak public option) to at least cover the most uninsurable
Holding insurance companies more accountable:end the antitrust exemption for health insurance companies so that they are no longer shielded from liability for price fixing.
place limits on the administration costs as percent of premiums, thus limiting premium increases.
end the market monopoly in many states, where choices are currently severely restricted, thus opening those markets to increased competition....and increased competition breeds lower costs for consumers.
But the House bill is only the first step.
I dont get the hard line position on the left that no loaf is better than half (or in this case, three quarters) of a loaf.