House Plan Taxes the Rich to Insure the Poor

Nancy Pelosi and her fellow progressive Democrats in the House have opened a can of health care whoop-ass that’s sure to drive Republicans and conservative Democrats nuts. The House bill, unveiled Tuesday, would tax the rich and businesses that skimp on health care coverage, provide a public option and require everybody to be covered.

It’s not single-payer, but there’s plenty of red meat for the liberal base of the party—especially considering the Blue Dog revolt that supposedly threatened the bill.

Read a summary of the bill on Nancy Pelosi’s Web site.

San Francisco Chronicle:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top Democrats opened an all-fronts charge today to pass a $1.5 trillion, 10-year health care overhaul by August, unveiling legislation that would tax the wealthy to pay for universal coverage, create a public insurance plan and require individuals to carry insurance and businesses to offer it.

The bill would also begin wide-ranging experiments to change the way doctors and hospitals are paid in an effort to slow decades of relentless cost increases.

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speaker.gov