Reps clear way for Obama's health bill
Source: Agencies |
November 9, 2009, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
IN a victory for United States President Barack Obama, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has narrowly passed landmark health care legislation to expand coverage to tens of millions who lack it and place tough new restrictions on the insurance industry. Republican opposition was nearly unanimous.
The 220-215 vote late on Saturday night cleared the way for the Senate to begin debate on the issue that has come to overshadow all others in Congress.
But it will be tougher to get Senate approval because Democrats will need 60 out of 100 votes to end debate and bring legislation to a final vote, and several moderate Democratic senators still have reservations.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi likened the legislation to the passage of the government's Social Security pension program in 1935 and Medicare health insurance for the elderly 30 years later.
"It provides coverage for 96 percent of Americans. It offers everyone, regardless of health or income, the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will have access to affordable health care when they need it," said Representative John Dingell, an 83-year-old Democratic lawmaker who has introduced national health insurance in every Congress since 1955.
The legislation would require most Americans to carry insurance and provide federal subsidies to those who otherwise could not afford it. Big companies would have to offer coverage to their workers. Both consumers and companies would be penalized if they defied the government's mandates.
Insurance industry practices such as denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions would be banned, and insurers would no longer be able to charge higher premiums on the basis of gender or medical history.
The 220-215 vote late on Saturday night cleared the way for the Senate to begin debate on the issue that has come to overshadow all others in Congress.
But it will be tougher to get Senate approval because Democrats will need 60 out of 100 votes to end debate and bring legislation to a final vote, and several moderate Democratic senators still have reservations.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi likened the legislation to the passage of the government's Social Security pension program in 1935 and Medicare health insurance for the elderly 30 years later.
"It provides coverage for 96 percent of Americans. It offers everyone, regardless of health or income, the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will have access to affordable health care when they need it," said Representative John Dingell, an 83-year-old Democratic lawmaker who has introduced national health insurance in every Congress since 1955.
The legislation would require most Americans to carry insurance and provide federal subsidies to those who otherwise could not afford it. Big companies would have to offer coverage to their workers. Both consumers and companies would be penalized if they defied the government's mandates.
Insurance industry practices such as denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions would be banned, and insurers would no longer be able to charge higher premiums on the basis of gender or medical history.
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