The Ways and Means Committee, in the push to meet a summer deadline for a major bill overhauling the nation’s health care system, will examine how to reform the health insurance market at a 10:00 a.m. hearing this Wednesday, April 22.
The hearing, the third full committee hearing on health this year, will focus on ways to ensure all Americans get access to affordable health insurance.
U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., is the top Republican on the committee and will play a lead role in Congress on health care reform.
“I think there is broad agreement on the principles of any successful health reform: lowering costs, increasing access, ensuring portability, and prevention and wellness, among others,” Camp said. “I have concerns about the plans some are talking about implementing in Washington; specifically, about having a government-run plan ‘compete’ with private insurance. A government plan would eliminate the current coverage for 120 million Americans who get it from their employers. I am sure most Americans get their health care this way, and taking that away from you is unacceptable.”
The Senate Finance Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the key writing committees in the Senate, have announced plans to move legislation quickly, with mark-ups planned in early June on similar legislation with the intent to move a bill to the Senate floor soon thereafter. The House will likely follow this schedule.

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