Washington, Nov 19 (Inditop.com) The US Senate has unveiled a health care reform bill that was estimated to cost nearly $900 billion.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told a press conference Wednesday that the overhaul health care reform bill would expand health insurance coverage to 30 million more Americans, Xinhua reported.
Citing an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, Reid, a Democrat, said that the bill was estimated to cost $849 billion over 10 years but it can reduce the federal deficit by $127 billion in the first decade and more than $600 billion in the following decade.
The bill, which combines two separate drafts approved by Senate committees, will be sent to the whole floor for debate and vote, Reid said.
The long-awaited bill was finally made public after Reid held a close-door meeting with Senate Democrats Wednesday afternoon, although its details remained unknown.
US media reports cited sources in the Senate as saying that public option, one of the most controversial issues about the health care reform, is included in the Senate bill, but states reserve their right to opt out after the bill is put into practice.
The House of Representative approved its health care reform bill Nov 7.
rounak