US Healthcare Cost & Legislative Impact

This assignment delves into the complex issue of healthcare costs in the United States. It examines various legislative approaches taken to address this challenge, highlighting the differences between Senate and House proposals. The analysis focuses on key congressional committees involved in shaping healthcare policy, their roles, and the influence of factors like electoral bases and seniority on decision-making.

Running head: COST COMPONENT OF US HEALTH CARE
COST COMPONENT OF US HEALTH CARE
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

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LEGISLATURE REGARDING THE COST COMPONENT OF US HEALTH CARE
6. The US congress is the chief legislative body in the law. It decides the taxation levels,
spending, creates programs and provides shape to the health care policies. The Democratic and
the Republican policies are the two robust members of the US congress.
The taxation and the cost component of the US health care has largely been an issue in
the US health care as US spends a large amount of GDP on the health care. Both the parties have
used this issue to come to the limelight and gain control over the legislative chairs.
Since, the cost component issue is one of the main issues related to American health care;
the current party can use the issue to establish a strong leadership by doing correct reforms
regarding health care. Party switching in the houses has been common centering on concerns
related to taxation and health care bills (Medpac.gov 2017).
7. The party committees have been established by the two major committees and the committees
are entrusted with specific tasks.
The Party's house and the Senate policy committee does research and advices the
members about the legislative proposals. In order to develop health policies regarding the US
cost components, it is necessary to have coordination between the committee members. All there
had always been a conflict between the Democratic and the Republican Party regarding the
management of the health care cost of US (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation 2017)
.

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The majority leader of the Senate is the president that states the parliamentary motions;
they pose rules on the parliamentary motions. They are the ones to appoint the chairs and the
committees. They are the ones to sign the bills and the legislations related to the health care,
costs and everything. The approvals of the task force committees for the health care reforms are
also decided by the party leaders (Medpac.gov 2017).
As per the recent reports, Donald Trump's approach will be based on " America first”,
which is going to change the role of US over the world. According to various reports, Previously
US was the sole super power with military muscles and economic clout. Trump's election has put
a sudden break with the past (Medpac.gov 2017).
Previously Czars were special officers that used to support the president. The current
Democratic Party also has appointed czars for their benefits.
Czars are special advisors to the president, who normally help to set the policies. The
czars can be appointed to help out the president to make health care reforms from inside the
white house.
8. Eleven congressional committees have jurisdiction over health care. They are the budget
committee, Finance committee, governmental affairs committee, and committee on education,
health, Pension and labors and the Judiciary committee. The members of the committee are the
influential health legislators (Group 2017).
These committees are responsible for the legislation on Medicaid and Medicare, tax
reforms.

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A committee consists of different members; there it is normal to have differences in the
opinions. In spite of this all the health care reforms are made with the consent of the committee
members.
The disputes are normally solved by voting system within the jurisdiction. The cost
component issue in US is multijurisdictional.
9. The sub committees are wielded by post hoc powers.
The committees have the full powers to extend their subcommittees. They can also rename or
reassign jurisdiction among the sub committees. Each and every committee are entrusted with
specific powers, it is advisable to restraint the powers of each committees as excess powers
might lead to exploitation of powers, which is one of the common characteristics of politics
(Group 2017).
There are certain impeachment proceedings and senate trials which regulates the power
of the powers of the different committees (Vox 2017).
A health care act alternative to the Affordable care act had always been a major area of
concern among the US congress committee members (Vox 2017).
The chair holders in the US congress are the ones that votes on a proposed law. They are
the ones where the bills are introduced.
All the committees have rights as per their duties and jurisdiction.
10. There are differences between the Senate version and the House version of the GOP proposal
plan. As per the updated version of the Senate plan, the GOP proposal will replace the current

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Medicaid by a block grant, and the amount will increase at a rate proportion to the inflation rate
(Group 2017).
The house version says each state will have a fixed grant of money every year. This
amount will annually increase by a rate linked to the inflation rate (Group 2017).
The electoral base, re-election frequency and the makeup of the member ship of the two houses
creates different perceptions regarding the health care cost of US. Selection of the committee
chairs differs between the parties of the house and the Senate. In the senate the chairs are
selected on the seniority basis, whereas in House importance is not given on seniority (Group
2017).
Each of the members will have different point of views that can give rise to conflicts
(Mgma.com 2017).
Filibuster can delay the legislative actions regarding the US health care by preventing the
vote on the bill. Cloture can be used to end a filibuster where the debate can be ceased by a two-
thirds majority vote.

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References
Group, U. (2017). United Health Foundation - Supporting Health and People in Communities.
[online] Unitedhealthfoundation.org. Available at: http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/
[Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].
Group, U. (2017). United Health Foundation - Supporting Health and People in Communities.
[online] Unitedhealthfoundation.org. Available at: http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/
[Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].
Medpac.gov. (2017). Home. [online] Available at: http://www.medpac.gov/ [Accessed 8 Nov.
2017].
Mgma.com. (2017). Key Congressional Committees to Healthcare. [online] Available at:
https://www.mgma.com/government-affairs/advocacy/advocacy-resources/key-congressional-
committees-in-healthcare [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2017). The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
[online] Available at: https://www.kff.org/ [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].
United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. (2017). Subcommittee
on Healthcare, Benefits, and Administrative Rules - United States House Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform. [online] Available at:
https://oversight.house.gov/subcommittee/health-care/ [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].

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Vox. (2017). Conservative senators are trying to repeal part of Obamacare in the tax bill.
[online] Available at: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/7/16619004/ted-cruz-
obamacare-repeal-tax-bill [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].