House health care reform
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), the likely chairman of the House Ways and Means/Health Subcommittee in the 104th Congress, says he plans to use the "Bipartisan Health Care Reform Act of 1994" as a starting point in developing health care reform legislation. The 1994 bill, crafted by a group of 10 House members late last session, is based on proposals developed by Reps. Roy Rowland (D- Ga.) and Mike Bilirakis (R-Fla.). The bill's provisions include creation of voluntary health plan purchasing cooperatives, malpractice reform setting a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages, and Medicaid reform. Medicare savings would finance the program. Thomas will use the plan as a "broad concept" and likely will not endorse all its elements, staffers say