Congress is back this week. And while we've got a ways to go before lawmakers get down to work on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Act, or even the fiscal year 2011 budget bills, there's one piece of legislation folks in the K-12 community should watch very closely: the health care bill. While there isn't much in the bill that relates to schools specifically, at least one debate over how to help fund a health care overhaul could have a lasting impact on teacher recruitment and retention.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have approved their versions of the legislation. Now, lawmakers and the administration are wrestling with a compromise measure that they hope to send to President Barack Obama's desk before the state of the union, slated for late this month or early next.
One of the thorniest issues on the table, right behind that public option you've been hearing so much about, is the question of how to pay for the expanded coverage. The House bill includes a tax on high-income folks, while the Senate bill would place an excise tax on so-called Cadillac health plans, those that cost more than $23,000 a year.