The three-committee panel of the House of Representatives released its healthcare reform proposal yesterday, offering few surprises given the rumors that have flown around Washington in recent weeks.

According to wire service reports filed at press time yesterday, the bill would force healthcare insurance companies doing business in the individual market to offer coverage to those with pre-existing conditions without adding on higher premiums. The House bill is also said to include a public plan, a feature that runs afoul of much of the work done in the Senate and which also is opposed by the Blue Dog Coalition of Democrats, assuming that reimbursement under the public option is based on reimbursement rates paid in the Medicare program (Medical Device Daily, July 13, 2009).

President Obama, who has conferred with House leaders on the shape of the bill, is said to have described the bill as one which "will begin the process of fixing what's broken about our healthcare system, reducing costs for all, building on what works and covering an estimated 97% of all Americans." H.R. 3200, known as the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, also includes an enrollment mandate and subsidies for those who cannot afford to buy insurance on their own.

The House Ways and Means Committee has scheduled a 9:00 a.m. hearing Thursday to vote on the legislation, which is listed as a mark-up hearing.

— Mark McCarty, Washington Editor