Community Announcement

Community Update: Health Care Reform Passes House

November 8, 2009—Late Saturday night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, by a vote of 220–215. This health care reform legislation is an effort to ensure affordable health care access across the nation and includes provisions such as the creation of a federal health exchange, a public option plan and the expansion of Medicaid.*

Health care reform will next be taken up in the Senate where a debate and vote is expected by the end of this year. Once passed in the Senate, the president will then sign the legislation to make it law. SEARAC will continue to monitor the progress of health care reform as it moves through congress, becomes law, and as it is implemented.

Please keep an eye out for additional information from SEARAC regarding important provisions in health care reform, particularly those with significant impact on Southeast Asian elders, in the coming week.

* Health Insurance Exchange/Gateway—An insurance marketplace where the uninsured and small businesses can shop for public and private health plans. Insurers would have to comply with regulations including that they cannot deny coverage because of a preexisting condition among many others.

Public Option—A government run insurance plan that would be part of Health Insurance Exchange/Gateway that creates a public health insurance option where individuals can choose between the insurance plan that their employer provides them or the government run public health insurance plan.