House GOP officially releases healthcare alternative

House Republicans on Wednesday officially debuted their healthcare reform alternative -- a 219-page proposal that resembles what the party previewed earlier this week.

As expected, the alternative proposes expansions to health-savings accounts and rewards for states that lower premiums or increase coverage. It also permits insurance companies to compete across state lines, prevents federal dollars from paying for abortions, enacts new limits on medical lawsuits and prevents illegal aliens from accessing these newly provided services.

All of those ideas were included in the party's first draft of the amendment, which leaked against the GOP's wishes on Tuesday. Some top House Republicans reportedly had not even seen the proposal in full until reporters posted it on the Internet.

Nevertheless, Democrats are certain to react lukewarmly to the GOP's latest offering, but two features of the amendment are already grabbing serious attention: the absence of rules about pre-existing conditions, and the presence of a rule on "bio-similar" drugs.

Unlike Democrats' proposal, which prevents insurers from declining coverage to citizens based on illnesses they already have, the GOP amendment includes no such language. Rather, it would establish in some states (or expand, in states that have them) the size and scope of "high-risk pools" -- essentially, insurance programs for those who are sick and unable to obtain insurance by other means. Democrats recently have charged those pools are already too expensive for sick Americans who lack health coverage.

Additionally, the GOP proposal includes an amendment first offered by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif) -- which is already part of the House Democrats' bill -- that specifies new limits on the sale of generic drugs. Although the bill has numerous Democratic cosponsors, some majority party lawmakers have lamented that provision, which they say allows big pharmaceutical companies an unlimited monopoly on medications that some Americans cannot afford.