Federal health reform passes the senate
The Senate voted early Monday morning to end debate on their health reform bill. The Senate will vote on the bill itself just before Christmas, with passage considered very likely. The House passed its own version of reform earlier in the fall. As the next step, a Conference Committee will determine which aspects of each proposal should go into a final bill, to be passed on to the President for signature.
The provisions appearing in both bills are most likely to be included in the final bill after reconciliation, as highlighted in the discussion below. Some aspects of health reform remain “to be determined”— a new federal agency is to be established. The new agency will set standards for the minimum benefit plan an employer must offer, among other issues. The rules set by that agency will affect and alter current employer health plans and their taxation. Employers who do not currently offer plans will be the most affected by reform overall, but all employers will face changes. For example, the agency’s actions may disallow current plan designs in the future, including health savings accounts (HSAs), even though Congressional proposals do not make these programs “illegal.”
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