Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program releases new analysis of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

A new analysis of H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed on December 24, 2009 by the United States Senate, was released today by The GW School of Public Health and Health Services, Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program. This new analysis focuses on key legal changes in the Senate-passed legislation and highlights relevant provisions addressed in the President's health reform proposal (released by the White House on February 22, 2010).

"This analysis highlights yet another historic and crucial step towards health reform reflecting the tremendous legal and policy evolution occurring," said Sara Rosenbaum, Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy and Chair of the Department of Health Policy. Professor Jane Hyatt Thorpe, who directs the Program's comparative legislative analysis project, added, "Building on our prior analyses of health reform legislation, this analysis illuminates the significant legal and policy changes that will fundamentally alter our current health care system."

The comparative analyses are generated using a special health reform legal taxonomy developed by Hirsh Program faculty and staff. The taxonomy is an analytic tool that provides a uniform and consistent mechanism for understanding the key elements of health reform across various health reform proposals, including: access, coverage, affordability, quality, health, financing, and the organization of health care markets. The taxonomy allows the user to view the analyses independently or comparatively (side by side), therefore, providing a clear understanding of each legislative proposal.

In addition to the Senate bill, the House bill, the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962); the Senate HELP Committee's Affordable Health Choices Act (S. 1679); and the Senate Finance Chairman's Mark of the America's Healthy Future Act of 2009 (S. 1796), the taxonomy has been used to analyze the House Tri-Committee Bill, The America's Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200); the Healthy Americans Act (S. 391); the Patient's Choice Act (S. 1099); and the American Health Security Act of 2009 (S. 703). Future additions will include the anticipated budget reconciliation bill as passed by the House and Senate. The comparative analysis and interactive tool is available on the Department of Health Policy's Web site at www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/healthreform/.

Source Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program