US President Barack Obama has unveiled new plans to advance legislation to overhaul the US healthcare system.
One of the key proposals gives the US government new power to block health insurers from imposing excessive premium increases.
Mr Obama has made healthcare reform a centrepiece of his presidency, but has so far failed to get a new law passed.
On Thursday, Mr Obama is to hold televised, bipartisan talks at the White House to discuss the issue.
The proposal "helps over 31 million Americans afford healthcare who do not get it today - and makes coverage more affordable for many more," the White House said on its website.
It gives the federal Health and Human Services Department - in conjunction with state authorities - the power to deny substantial premium increases, limit them, or demand rebates for consumers.
Mr Obama's latest plan requires most Americans to carry health insurance coverage, with federal subsidies to help many afford the premiums.
I ask members of both parties to seek common ground in an effort to solve a problem that's been with us for generations
Barack Obama
Q&A: US healthcare reform
Heath bills: House v Senate
It bars insurance companies from denying coverage to people with existing medical problems or charging them more.
A tax on high-cost health insurance plans objected to by House Democrats - and trade unions - is to be scaled back.
Mr Obama says reform of the healthcare system is crucial for the US economy to rein in costs over the long term.
The plan would put "our budget and economy on a more stable path by reducing the deficit by $100bn [£64.5bn] over the next 10 years - and more than $1tn [£644bn] over the second decade - by cutting government overspending and reining in waste, fraud and abuse", he said.
One senior Republican rejected the proposal.
"This is not a serious attempt to address the concerns the American people have expressed about the Democrats' bills and does not truly include important policy changes Republicans have been pushing to address them, like ending junk lawsuits that drive up healthcare costs," Dave Camp, the top Republican on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement.
Bitter debate
The Democrats' loss of a Senate seat in Massachusetts to Republican Scott Brown in January deprived them of their filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate, although they still control both houses.
Thursday's debate is seen as a key moment in Mr Obama's bid to pass new legislation, and comes after months of often bitterly-contested congressional debates.
Mr Obama referred to the talks in his weekly radio address on Saturday, saying: "I don't want to see this meeting turn into political theatre, with each side simply reciting talking points and trying to score political points.
"Instead, I ask members of both parties to seek common ground in an effort to solve a problem that's been with us for generations."
The House of Representatives and the Senate adopted different versions of the bill at the end of last year, and they must now be combined into a single bill Mr Obama can sign into law.
Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8528100.stm
One of the key proposals gives the US government new power to block health insurers from imposing excessive premium increases.
Mr Obama has made healthcare reform a centrepiece of his presidency, but has so far failed to get a new law passed.
On Thursday, Mr Obama is to hold televised, bipartisan talks at the White House to discuss the issue.
The proposal "helps over 31 million Americans afford healthcare who do not get it today - and makes coverage more affordable for many more," the White House said on its website.
It gives the federal Health and Human Services Department - in conjunction with state authorities - the power to deny substantial premium increases, limit them, or demand rebates for consumers.
Mr Obama's latest plan requires most Americans to carry health insurance coverage, with federal subsidies to help many afford the premiums.
I ask members of both parties to seek common ground in an effort to solve a problem that's been with us for generations
Barack Obama
Q&A: US healthcare reform
Heath bills: House v Senate
It bars insurance companies from denying coverage to people with existing medical problems or charging them more.
A tax on high-cost health insurance plans objected to by House Democrats - and trade unions - is to be scaled back.
Mr Obama says reform of the healthcare system is crucial for the US economy to rein in costs over the long term.
The plan would put "our budget and economy on a more stable path by reducing the deficit by $100bn [£64.5bn] over the next 10 years - and more than $1tn [£644bn] over the second decade - by cutting government overspending and reining in waste, fraud and abuse", he said.
One senior Republican rejected the proposal.
"This is not a serious attempt to address the concerns the American people have expressed about the Democrats' bills and does not truly include important policy changes Republicans have been pushing to address them, like ending junk lawsuits that drive up healthcare costs," Dave Camp, the top Republican on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement.
Bitter debate
The Democrats' loss of a Senate seat in Massachusetts to Republican Scott Brown in January deprived them of their filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate, although they still control both houses.
Thursday's debate is seen as a key moment in Mr Obama's bid to pass new legislation, and comes after months of often bitterly-contested congressional debates.
Mr Obama referred to the talks in his weekly radio address on Saturday, saying: "I don't want to see this meeting turn into political theatre, with each side simply reciting talking points and trying to score political points.
"Instead, I ask members of both parties to seek common ground in an effort to solve a problem that's been with us for generations."
The House of Representatives and the Senate adopted different versions of the bill at the end of last year, and they must now be combined into a single bill Mr Obama can sign into law.
Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8528100.stm
Wry nicle pls
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