The Senate yesterday rejected a Republican bill to repeal the "grandfather" clause in the healthcare reform law, according to a Baltimore Business Journal report.
The clause was intended to exempt current healthcare plans from new mandates ushered in by the reform law, allowing citizens to keep their current insurance plans if they liked them.
However, in July, HHS issued regulations around grandfathering that would strip plans of their grandfathered status if they reduce plan benefits. Health plans without the grandfather status will be subject to all new mandates in the law, including providing co-payment-free preventative care.
Assumedly, the regulation was intended to protect workers' current benefits, but critics — including Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), who sponsored the bill — argued the rule will be costly for businesses that seek to modify their health plans.
The bill was rejected on a 59-40 party-line vote, according to the report.
Read the Baltimore Business Journal report on the grandfather clause.
Read more coverage on healthcare reform:
- What a Big GOP Victory in November Might Mean for Healthcare Reform
- 6 Ways Republicans Plan to Chip Away at Reform Law After Election
The clause was intended to exempt current healthcare plans from new mandates ushered in by the reform law, allowing citizens to keep their current insurance plans if they liked them.
However, in July, HHS issued regulations around grandfathering that would strip plans of their grandfathered status if they reduce plan benefits. Health plans without the grandfather status will be subject to all new mandates in the law, including providing co-payment-free preventative care.
Assumedly, the regulation was intended to protect workers' current benefits, but critics — including Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), who sponsored the bill — argued the rule will be costly for businesses that seek to modify their health plans.
The bill was rejected on a 59-40 party-line vote, according to the report.
Read the Baltimore Business Journal report on the grandfather clause.
Read more coverage on healthcare reform:
- What a Big GOP Victory in November Might Mean for Healthcare Reform
- 6 Ways Republicans Plan to Chip Away at Reform Law After Election