Universal Health Care Coverage Legislation Introduced in House
Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) on Wednesday introduced a companion bill (HR 6444) to Senate legislation (S 344) that would establish a universal health insurance system in the U.S., the Salt Lake Tribune reports (Canham, Salt Lake Tribune, 7/10).
The Senate bill, sponsored by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Bob Bennett (R-Utah), would effectively replace the employer-sponsored health care system with a system in which individuals would purchase private health insurance through state-administered purchasing pools.
The legislation would require all residents to obtain health insurance.
Wyden in April modified the bill to allow employers to continue to provide health insurance (American Health Line, 7/9).
The House bill has 19 supporters, two of whom are Republicans; the Senate legislation has 14 co-sponsors, seven of whom are Republicans (Salt Lake Tribune, 7/10).