United States National Health Care Act
Latest action · Jan 27, 2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 26, 2009
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
United States National Health Care Act or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act - Establishes the United States National Health Care (USNHC) Program to provide all individuals residing in the United States and U.S. territories with free health care that includes all medically necessary care, such as primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care, long-term care, mental health services, dental services, and vision care.
Prohibits an institution from participating unless it is a public or nonprofit institution. Allows nonprofit health maintenance organizations (HMOs) that deliver care in their own facilities to participate.
Gives patients the freedom to choose from participating physicians and institutions.
Prohibits a private health insurer from selling health insurance coverage that duplicates the benefits provided under this Act. Allows such insurers to sell benefits that are not medically necessary, such as cosmetic surgery benefits.
Sets forth methods to pay institutional providers of care and health professionals for services. Prohibits financial incentives between HMOs and physicians based on utilization.
Establishes the USNHC Trust Fund to finance the Program with amounts deposited: (1) from existing sources of government revenues for health care; (2) by increasing personal income taxes on the top 5% income earners; (3) by instituting a progressive excise tax on payroll and self-employment income; and (4) by instituting a small tax on stock and bond transactions. Transfers and appropriates to carry out this Act amounts that would have been appropriated for federal public health care programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
Requires the USNHC Program to give first priority in retraining and job placement and USNHC employment transition benefits to individuals whose jobs are eliminated due to reduced administration.
Requires creation of a confidential electronic patient record system.
Establishes a National Board of Universal Quality and Access to provide advice on quality, access, and affordability.
Provides for: (1) the eventual integration of the Indian Health Service into the Program; and (2) evaluation of the continued independence of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health programs.
Cosponsors 87
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 26, 2009 to Oct 7, 2009; 30 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-MA | Bill Delahunt | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-MI | Carolyn C. Kilpatrick | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-ME | Chellie Pingree | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-IL | Danny K. Davis | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-OH | Dennis J. Kucinich | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-CA | Diane E. Watson | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-MD | Donna F. Edwards | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-NY | Eliot L. Engel | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-NY | Eric J. J. Massa | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-CA | Grace F. Napolitano | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-NY | Gregory W. Meeks | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-CA | Howard L. Berman | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
| D-WA | Jim McDermott | Original | Jan 26, 2009 |
Withdrew 1 Kendrick B. Meek D-FL Oct 21, 2009
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Jan 26, 2009 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Jan 27, 2009 | |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Jan 26, 2009 |
| House | Natural Resources Committee | Referred Jan 26, 2009 |
Actions 6
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 27, 2009Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Jan 26, 2009Introduced in House
- Jan 26, 2009Referred to House Energy and Commerce
- Jan 26, 2009Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Jan 26, 2009Referred to House Ways and Means
In the Congressional Record 14
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H8273 | John Conyers, Jr. D-MI | Dec 9, 2010 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S13291 | Bernard Sanders I-VT | Dec 16, 2009 |
| House | Debate and remarks H10411 | Dennis J. Kucinich D-OH | Oct 1, 2009 |
| House | Debate and remarks H10405 | Anthony D. Weiner D-NY | Sep 30, 2009 |
| House | Debate and remarks H9424 | John Conyers, Jr. D-MI | Sep 10, 2009 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 8
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 111-143 | QUITTING HARD HABITS: EFFORTS TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION FOR DRUG-INVOLVED OFFENDERS162 pages | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Jul 22, 2010 |
| Serial No. 111-128 | BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR DOCTOR: THE PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE BUREAUCRACY545 pages | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Sep 17, 2009 |
| Serial No. 111-127 | BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR DOCTOR: THE BUREAUCRACY OF PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE184 pages | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Sep 16, 2009 |
| S. Hrg. 111-974 | HEALTHCARE REFORM ROUNDTABLE (PART I)116 pages | Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee | Jun 11, 2009 |
| Serial No. 111-26 | EXAMINING THE SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE OPTION73 pages | Education and Workforce Committee | Jun 10, 2009 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To provide for comprehensive health insurance coverage for all United States residents, improved health care delivery, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act
- United States National Health Care Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Advisory bodies
- Appropriations
- Comprehensive health care
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Employment and training programs
- Employment taxes
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Government studies and investigations
- Government trust funds
- Health
- Health care costs and insurance
- Health care coverage and access
- Health care quality
- Health information and medical records
- Health personnel
- Health programs administration and funding
- Health promotion and preventive care
- Income tax rates
- Indian social and development programs
- Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
- Medical ethics
- Mental health
- Minority health
- Prescription drugs
- Right of privacy
- Sales and excise taxes
- Securities
- Veterans' medical care
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 26, 2009Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
