By Maggie Mertens
KFF Health News Staff Writer
Feb. 24, 2010
The proposal President Barack Obama unveiled on Monday is based largely on the bill passed by the Democratic Senate on Dec. 24, 2009, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It has some similarities to a GOP proposal sponsored by Sen. John Chafee, R-R.I., during the Clinton presidency, the Health Equity and Access Reform Today Act of 1993.
This chart compares those two bills with the Nov. 3, 2009 proposal from House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, the Common Sense Health Care Reform and Affordability Act.
Related KFF Health News story: The Democrats’ 2010 Health Reform Plan Evokes 1993 Republican Bill
| Major Provisions | Senate Bill 2009 | Sen. Chafee (R) Bill 1993 | Rep. Boehner (R) Bill 2009 |
| Require Individuals To Purchase Health Insurance (Includes Religious and/or Hardship Exemption) |
Yes |
Yes |
No (individuals without |
| Requires Employers To Offer Health Insurance To Employees |
Yes (above 50 employees, must help pay for insurance costs to workers receiving tax credits |
Yes (but no requirement to contribute to premium cost) |
No |
| Standard Benefits Package |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Bans Denying Medical Coverage For Pre-existing Conditions |
Yes |
Yes |
No (establishes high risk pools) |
| Establish State-based Exchanges/Purchasing Groups |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Offers Subsidies For Low-Income People To Buy Insurance |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Long Term Care Insurance |
Yes (sets up a voluntary insurance plan) |
Yes (sets standards for insurance) |
No |
| Makes Efforts To Create More Efficient Health Care System |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Medicaid Expansion |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Reduces Growth In Medicare Spending |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
| Medical Malpractice Reform |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Controls High Cost Health Plans |
Yes (taxes on plans over $8,500 for single coverage to $23,000 for family plan) |
Yes (caps tax exemption for employer-sponsored plans) |
No |
| Prohibits Insurance Company From Cancelling Coverage |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Prohibits Insurers From Setting Lifetime Spending Caps |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Equalize Tax Treatment For Insurance Of Self-Employed |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Extends Coverage To Dependents |
Yes (up to age 26) |
No |
Yes (up to age 25) |
| Cost |
$871 billion over 10 years |
No CBO estimate |
$8 billion over 10 years |
| Impact On Deficit |
Reduces by $132 billion over 10 years |
No CBO estimate |
Reduces by $68 billion over 10 years |
| Percentage Of Americans Covered |
94% by 2019 |
92-94% by 2005 |
82% by 2019 |
