Legislative Update: Health Care Reform Bill to Hit Floor

The House Democratic leadership unveiled a health care reform bill last week that, if passed, will make dramatic changes to the health care industry.
The 1,990 page bill currently being discussed is significantly different from H.R. 3200, the health care legislation approved by the Energy and Commerce Committee in July.  I am pleased to see some positive changes in the new legislation, including the repeal of an anti-trust loophole that currently allows health care insurance companies to drive up the price of medical care. This measure would bar anti-competitive practices such as price fixing and allow for increased state regulation. This provision is similar to the Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act, H.R. 3596, which l cosponsored last month to create more competition in the insurance industry and drive down prices.
I continue to be concerned about the $1.2 trillion price tag attached to the health care legislation, H.R. 3962.  Health care premiums for families rose about 5 percent this year, and have more than doubled over the past decade, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation data.  Health care reform must slow the rising cost of health insurance affecting American families and businesses already weighed down by our struggling economy. The current legislation does not adequately reduce the cost of health care for most Americans, and threatens to make health insurance even more expensive.  Additionally, the bill does not do enough to reduce the increasing amount that the federal government spends on Medicare, Medicaid and other health care programs. These cost increases are unsustainable for our federal budget in the long run.

The House leadership may call for a vote on the legislation as early as this week.  Following the House vote, the bill will be considered by the Senate.  As I consider the legislation, I am working on reading the bill and anticipating how the legislation would affect Western North Carolina and our country as a whole.
EPA and Interior Department Spending
Last week, both the House and the Senate passed the bill that finances the Environmental Protection Administration and the Department of the Interior, which funds our national parks and federal forests. The Department of Interior, Environment and Related Appropriations Act of 2010, H.R. 2996, included funding for wildlife preservation, land and water conservation, and a substantial increase to provide loans for local sewer and water projects.
This bill also included my provision that allocated $713,000 to buy 88 acres of land to provide public access to the scenic site of Catawba Falls and build a parking area.  This follows the passage in September of my bill that allowed the adjustment of the boundaries of the Pisgah National Forest to include a total of 301 acres of additional land, 213 acres that already were owned by the federal government and the additional 88-acre tract of privately owned land. Currently, visitors need to pass through a steep and rugged wooded area to legally reach the Catawba Falls, and people often inadvertently trespass on private property. This legislation, coupled with the funding allocated in H.R. 2996, will open up Catawba Falls to hikers and fishermen, as well as give an economic boost to the economy of McDowell County.
Small Business
The Small Business Financing and Investment Act, H.R. 3854, was passed in the House last week.   This bill was designed to make obtaining government loans easier and less costly for small businesses. The legislation will cut red tape for small businesses to obtain government loans, lower fees on many loans and raise the maximum amount of a Small Business Administration loan to $3 million.
The legislation will get more affordable capital into the hands of small business owners who all too often face difficulties obtaining loans and other financing.   The Small Business Committee, of which I am a member and a Chairman of a Subcommittee, estimates that the bill will allow $44 billion for lending and investment to small businesses, and is expected to create and save up to 1.3 million jobs a year.