Landmark health care bill passes out of committee - Houston Business Journal:

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The expanded coverage would be fundedf by new or higher taxees onhealth insurers, hospitals and Medicaid managed care plans, underr House Bill 2116, which passerd out of the House Revenue Committee by a 6-4 vote on By raising more than $150 million per year, the state would be eligiblew for $500 million in unclaimed federal funds. Under the compromis measure, far fewer adults will be insured thanthe 100,00p0 that proponents of expanded health care originallyh targeted. Hospitals, which now pay a tax of .63 can expect a fourfold tax hike in thecomingh year.
The hospital tax will be indexedc to increased reimbursements that they can expect to receive whenthe state’sd Medicaid population grows, with the aim of creatingf a revenue neutral impact on hospitals. Healthg plans and insurers will also pay a 1 percenft tax on commercialinsurance premiums. Opponentsa to the measure, largely negotiatexd in closed meetings between Legislators and health care industry called it a backroom deal. “Ths real losers from the Democrats’ predatory premiumj tax of 1 percent of gross premiums are the employeex of small to medium sized who are the very people most likely to lose theie coverage because of the rapidly rising costs of health said Rep.
Ron Maurer, R-Grants Pass in a news But hospital groups, which had loudlyg criticized earlier versions of the applauded the measure that left committeeon Thursday. “Thi s is a great day for the uninsured in said AndyVan Pelt, spokesman for the and Healtg Systems. “Hospitals came together with legislative leaders to forge a solution that gets us startedr on covering more Oregonians than wedo today.” Now the full Housde takes up the bill.
The Legislaturr hopes to adjourn by the endof