Proposed Changes For HR 676 In The 112th Congress Dear Key HR 676 Supporters: Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings! Rep. John Conyers will be re-introducing HR 676 as soon as we get back in January 2011 for the 112th session of Congress. The bill maintains the vast majority of the language from the HR 676 of the 111th Congress and adds language from the single-payer amendment drafted by Rep. Weiner in conjunction with many of the leading single-payer advocacy organizations. We believe this language will strengthen the bill by explicitly quantifying the revenue stream, including a financial transactions tax, which will be used to pay for the Improved and Expanded Medicare For All program. Once we get the new draft of the HR 676 bill from the legislative counsels, we will forward the language to you so you can comment on the language before introduction during the first week of the 112th Congress. We believe that the bill will again have the H.R. 676 number. Below is the summary of the proposed major changes in the bill: · Rename the bill “The Improved and Expanded Medicare For All Act.” · H.R. 676 will repeal the new health care law’s health insurance provisions (e.g., state exchanges, Medicaid expansion, guaranteed issue and protections for pre-existing conditions, affordability credits for low-income individuals) and replace them with a single-payer insurance system. · The benefits package will remain the same, but we are expanding the dental benefits package to include oral surgery. · An 6 percent payroll tax for employees and an 8 percent payroll tax on employers. The prior bill did not have specific language on the tax, but our HR 676 summaries estimated a 4.75% tax on employers and employees. · Self employed individuals will pay a modest progressive tax based on their annual income, not the 8 percent payroll tax. This tax will be determined by the HHS Secretary during implementation. · Creates a specific annual budget each year for the Improved Medicare For All Program that increases each year. This will make the cost of the program clear. · Revenue provisions included in the new health care law will be used as revenue raisers for H.R. 676. · Adds a new revenue raiser – the financial transactions tax from Rep. Defazio’s H.R. 1068. All revenue from the tax will go into the Program ’s trust fund. · More specific language on the establishment of global budgets from the Weiner Single-Payer Amendment *For more information, please contact Michael Darner, Legislative Director, or Joel Segal, Senior Legislative Assistant at 202 225-5126, or email at _michael.dar...@mail.house.gov_ (mailto:michael.dar...@mail.house.gov) , or _joel.se...@mail.house.gov_ (mailto:joel.se...@mail.house.gov) . *This is intended to go to anyone who cares about single-payer health care and the fight to enact H.R. 676. Please share it with anyone we may have left off of this list* Mike Darner Legislative Director Office of Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI-14) 2426 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-5126 (office) (202) 225-0072 (fax) CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information or otherwise be protected by law. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
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