Health Policy Brief: Key Issues in Health Reform: The federal government’s role in financing and delivering health care; Lowering the rate of growth of Medicare spending; Advance care planning for serious illness

August 20, 2009 This policy brief offers basic facts about the status quo and about how major pieces of reform legislation might affect the picture. As of the publication date of this brief, there are two principal legislative drafts in near-final form: the so-called House Tri-Committee bill, the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 (HR 3200); and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee bill, the Affordable Health Choices Act. The Senate Finance Committee is still negotiating its bill, which is expected to be the main Senate reform legislative vehicle but is not . . .