Affordable Health Care for America Act


The Affordable Health Care for America Act was a bill that was crafted by the United States House of Representatives in October 29 of 2009. It never became law as originally drafted.
At the encouragement of the Obama administration, the 111th Congress devoted much of its time to enacting reform of the United States' health care system. Known as the "House bill", HR 3962 was the House of Representatives' chief legislative proposal during the health reform debate.
On December 24, 2009, the Senate passed an alternative health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In 2010, the House abandoned its reform bill in favor of amending the Senate bill in the form of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Key provisions

The central changes that would have been made by the legislation, had it been enacted, included the following:
The main House reform bill was the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which passed November 7, 2009. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is the Senate version, passed December 24. The following table compares the two versions.
HouseSenateNotes
New 10-year costs $1,052$848
Projected 10-year change in deficit -$109-$132New costs minus new savings and revenue
Number uninsured by 2019 172354 without bill
Public optionYesNo
Insurance exchangesYesYesH: National exchange;
S: State-based exchanges
Individual mandateYesYesPenalty tax or fine if coverage not carried
Employer mandateYesYesSmall businesses exempted
Abortion coverageNoYesH: No in public option or subsidized plans;
may be covered by separate riders
S: Yes, but must be paid for separately without subsidies
New and increased taxesYesYesH: Families with income > $1 million
S: High-cost insurance plans;
Wealthiest Americans Medicare taxes;
Indoor tanning tax
Insurance reformsYesYesH: Remove anti-trust exemption
Both: Define qualified health benefit plan
Expand MedicaidYesYesMax 2009 income, family of 4:
H: $33,000
S: $29,000.
Insurance subsidiesYesYesProrated to $88,000 for family of 4
H: Premium subsidies; S: Tax credits
Tax equity for domestic partnersYesNo

The bill was introduced on October 29, 2009 and passed on November 7, during the 1st Session of the 111th Congress. Its primary sponsor was the Dean of the House, John Dingell of Michigan.
The bill is a revised version of an earlier measure, the proposed America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. The revisions included refinements designed to meet the goals outlined in the President's address to a joint session of Congress in September, 2009 concerning health care reform. In 1989 the idea for the "individual mandate" that every household obtain adequate health care was proposed by the Heritage Foundation and supported in congress by high-profile republicans Newt Gingrich, Orin Hatch and Charles Grassley in 1993.

House actions

The Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962, was introduced in the House of Representatives on October 29, 2009, and referred to several Committees for consideration.
On November 6, 2009, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce was discharged. The House Committee on Rules introduced House Resolution 903 along with a Committee Report, . The Committee Report detailed the amendments considered as adopted if and when the bill passed the full House in Parts A & B; it provided the Stupak-Pitts Amendment for consideration in Part C as well as the Boehner Amendment, a substitute for the bill, in Part D. The House Resolution outlined the process to be followed for Parts A through D in relation to H.R. 3962 and set the rules for debating the proposed bill.
The following day, House Resolution 903 was voted on and passed. This, in effect, added the amendments outlined in Rules Committee Report No. 111-330, Parts A & B, to H.R. 3962. Part C, the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, was brought up, considered and passed. Part D, the Boehner Substitute Amendment, was then brought up, considered but failed passage.
The newly amended bill eventually passed the House of Representatives at 11:19 PM EST on Saturday, November 7, 2009, by a vote of 220–215. The bill passed with support of the majority of Democrats, together with one Republican who voted only after the necessary 218 votes had already been cast. Thirty-nine Democrats voted against the bill. All members of the House voted, and none voted "present".
Both before and after passage in the House, significant controversy surrounded the Stupak–Pitts Amendment added to the bill to prohibit coverage of abortions – with limited exceptions – in the public option or in any of the exchange's private plans sold to customers receiving federal subsidies. In mid-November, it was reported that 40 House Democrats said they will not support a final bill containing the Amendment's provisions. Stupak has said that 15–20 Democrats will oppose adoption of the Senate bill because of objections to its abortion provisions as well as its tax on high-value health insurance plans. In March 2010, Stupak voted for the Senate language health care bill excluding the Stupak Amendment language.

Senate actions

The Affordable Health Care for America Act, H.R. 3962, as engrossed or passed by the House of Representatives, was received in the Senate, read into the record and placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders.

H.R. 3962 as eventually enacted

A different bill, under the same bill number H.R. 3962, was eventually passed by Congress and, on June 25, 2010, was signed by the President. This is the "Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010."