Scheduling
Time & Attendance
Forecasting
Employee App
Payroll Integrations
Communications
Benefits
By Staff Report
Aug. 4, 2009
A Senate panel has until September 15 to deliver a bipartisan health care overhaul package before Democratic leaders take steps to push a bill without broad Republican support, a senior member of the Finance Committee said.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York and vice chairman of the Democratic Conference, said that the party has “contingencies in place” that would make it highly likely a bill could pass the Senate without GOP votes, but warned such mechanisms would be used as a “last resort.”
“Health care reform is just too important,” he said, adding that it can’t be left to “wither on the vine.”
Schumer said the deadline was set by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Montana, who has quarterbacked negotiations with a small team of five other senators, including three Republicans. One measure open to Democrats is a procedure known as “reconciliation,” which would shorten the period for debate and greatly restrict Republicans’ ability to offer amendments.
Schumer also provided details on a handful of items that will be included in the bill to drive down health care costs, such as provisions that would move providers away from fee-for-service to “bundled” payments, establish a system of value-based purchasing and create so-called “accountable care” organizations.
Such provisions enjoy bipartisan support, he said.
“No matter what happens, we’re going to enact health care reform by the end of the year,” Schumer said.
Filed by Matthew DoBias of Modern Healthcare, a sister publication of Workforce Management. To comment, e-mail editors@workforce.com.
Stay informed and connected. Get human resources news and features via Workforce Management’s Twitter feed or RSS feeds for mobile devices and news readers.
Come see what we’re building in the world of predictive employee scheduling, superior labor insights and next-gen employee apps. We’re on a mission to automate workforce management for hourly employees and bring productivity, optimization and engagement to the frontline.
Benefits
What is Earned Wage Access (EWA)? A Few ConsiderationsSummary Earned wage access (EWA) programs are an increasingly popular way for employees to access their...
benefits, earned wage access products, payroll, time and attendance
Benefits
EEOC says that employers legally can offer incentives to employees to get vaccinated in almost all instancesIf you’re an employer looking to get as many of your employees vaccinated as possible, you can rest eas...
ADA, CDC, COVID-19, EEOC, GINA, pandemic, vaccinated
Benefits
Fixing some common misconceptions about HIPAAEver since the CDC amended its COVID-19 guidance to say that the fully vaccinated no longer need to wea...
COVID-19, health care, HIPAA, human resources, wellness