- an amendment by Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) to eliminate waiting periods under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for eligible children who lose health insurance coverage, who are under two years old, or for whom health insurance coverage is unaffordable, by voice vote;
- an amendment by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to require the secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance regarding best practices for conducting eligibility outreach for Medicaid and SCHIP to vulnerable populations, such as homeless youth, individuals with mental health or substance abuse disorders, and individuals with HIV/AIDS, by voice vote;
- an amendment by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) to prohibit any comparative effectiveness research from being used by the federal government to deny or ration care, by voice vote;
- an amendment by Del. Donna M.C. Christensen (D-VI) to require the secretary of Health and Human Services to eliminate racial, ethnic, gender, and geographic health disparities asthey relate to the community-based medical home model pilot program, by voice vote;
- an amendment by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) to prohibit abortion as a covered service under the minimum benefits package, 30-28. The amendment also would prohibit any health plan participating in the health exchange from discriminating against any individual health care provider or health care facility because of its willingness or unwillingness to provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for, abortion services. Additionally, it would clarify that nothing in the underlying bill could be construed to preempt any state laws on abortion, including parental consent, and that the bill would not affect federal conscious clause requirements; and
- an amendment by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) to prohibit any federal agency, state, or local government that receives federal financial assistance under the bill from discriminating against any individual or health care institution because such entities refuse to provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or referrals for, abortions, by voice vote.
The same day, the following amendments were defeated:
- an amendment by Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) to cap non-economic medical liability damages against health care workers at $250,000, 23-32;
- an amendment by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) to eliminate the Medicare program on January 1, 2010, 0-57;
- a second amendment by Rep. Burgess to eliminate the public plan option from the bill, 24-35; and
- an amendment by Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA) to clarify that nothing in the underlying bill imposes any requirement for abortion coverage, except in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest, 29-30.
On July 31, the committee adopted:
- an amendment by Reps. Gene Green (D-TX) and Betty Sutton (D-OH) to require health insurers to cover post-mastectomy items, including breast prosthesis, by voice vote;
- an amendment by Reps. Capps and Eliot Engel (D-NY) to establish quality health measures for maternity and adult care under Medicaid and SCHIP, by voice vote;
- an amendment by Reps. Zack Space (D-OH), McNerney, and Baron Hill (D-IN) to prohibit federal Medicaid or SCHIP payments for illegal immigrants, by voice vote; and
- an amendment by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) to prohibit discrimination in health care services based on religious or spiritual content, by voice vote.
The same day, the committee defeated:
- an amendment by Rep. Stupak to codify the Hyde Amendment, an annual appropriations rider, to prohibit funding for abortion services except in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest, 27-31; and
- an amendment by Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) that would require the Government Accountability Office to perform an annual study of breast cancer survival rates. Based on the study’s findings, if five-year survival rates for breast cancer decreased by more than .1 percent, women and families with at least one female member would be allowed to purchase health insurance that does not meet the requirements set forth in the bill, 22-36.
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