12 New Features in the Latest House Health Reform Bill

Negotiation of Medicare drug prices. With the revised bill, the HHS secretary will be required to negotiate drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries.

Employer mandate exemption. The revised bill calls for exempting firms with payrolls up to $500,000 (instead of $250,000) from the mandate and indicates only a graduated penalty for not offering coverage for firms with payrolls between $500,000 and $750,000 (instead of firms with payrolls between $250,000 and $400,000.) This change exempts more small businesses (now up to 86%) from the employer mandate.

Insurer antitrust exemption. The revised bill incorporates language that would overturn the 60-year-old McCarran-Ferguson Act that gives health and medical companies an antitrust exemption and had permitted them to share data.

Age extension. Coverage under the revised bill would permit young people up to age 27 to remain on their parents' health insurance if requested.

Long-term care insurance. The revised bill creates a long-term care insurance program that would be financed by voluntary payroll deductions to provide benefits to adults who become functionally disabled. This measure would provide cash benefits to assist individuals with community based services.

Medicaid expansion. Individuals and families with incomes now at or below 150% percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible for an expanded Medicaid program. This expansion will initially be fully federally financed, then transitioned to include a 9% contribution from states starting in 2015. To improve provider participation, reimbursement rates for primary care services will be increased to Medicare rates with new federal funding.