In anticipation of a much publicized bipartisan meeting with representatives of Congress, President Obama released today a comprehensive health plan which seeks to combine the House and the Senate health care bills. The President’s proposal, which can be read on the Whitehouse.gov website, would not include a public option but would include, among a lot of other things, the following:

  • Creating a federal Health Insurance Rate Authority to oversee insurance rate increases and other unfair practices of insurance plans;
  • Closing the Medicare prescription drug “donut hole” coverage gap;
  • Increasing the threshold for the excise tax on the most expensive health plans from $23,000 for a family plan to $27,500 and starting it in 2018 for all plans;
  •  Setting up a competitive health insurance exchange.