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By a party line vote of 13–10, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee concluded its deliberation on its health care reform proposal by voting the legislation out of committee. The Senate health care reform debate will now continue in the Finance Committee, which is expected to introduce its legislation later this week. Once the Senate Finance Committee passes its measure, the HELP and Finance proposals will be combined and considered by the entire Senate.
The Senate HELP health care reform bill requires all Americans to obtain health care and creates gateways by which insurance can be purchased. The legislation also outlines a basic benefit package which among other things includes coverage of pediatric services and a provision pushed by ASHA that would require plans to cover both habilitative and rehabilitative services. It would also place an emphasis on quality and efficiency in the health care system and place a greater emphasis on preventative and wellness benefits.
ASHA will continue to work with Congress to ensure that speech-language pathology and audiology services are addressed in the larger scheme of health care reform. For additional information, please contact Ingrida Lusis, ASHA's Director of Federal and Political Advocacy, at ilusis@asha.org or by phone at 202-624-5951.
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