banktime.com

As part of their ongoing attempt to fulfill a pledge made to President Obama to work towards quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans, Democrats in the House of Representatives are considering a mandate that would require all employers to make coverage available to all full-time employers, or else to give the Treasury a percentage of their payroll. This is in addition to their contemplation of a government-run coverage for the approximately forty-six million U.S. citizens without insurance. According to a memo regarding the proceedings, the program being considered would fall under the purview of the Department of Health and Human Services, and would compete with private insurers. A complete overhaul of the healthcare system could be taking place, and the House Dems are currently in the epicenter of the movement.

One major criticism of national healthcare is that it would be economically unreasonable. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, however, believes that smarter spending of currently available fund is the key to making the idea a reality. The President has earmarked more than sixty billion dollars a year over the next decade in his 2010 budget request to finance a complete renovation of U.S. healthcare. Obama believes that “the stars are aligned” for a long-needed change in insurance policy. Higher taxes might play a role in making sure that everyone has access to healthcare, says Congress. It is estimated that families making less than eighty-eight thousand dollars a year might be eligible for sliding-scale subsidies towards their choice of either public (government-run) or private insurance.