Debate on the House floor had already begun when President Barack Obama entered a closed-door meeting of the Democratic House members across the street from the Capitol to make a final personal appeal to them to pass what has been his top domestic agenda item. The session was private, but Obama later said that he told Congress "that opportunities like this come around maybe once in a generation ... This is their moment, this is our moment, to live up to the trust that the American people have placed in us ... I urge members of Congress to rise to this moment. Answer the call of history, and vote yes for health insurance reform for America."
Only one member of the GOP, Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana, voted for the measure. Meanwhile, thirty-nine Democrats voted against it.
IN the House of Representatives, the champion of health insurance reform has been Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.). He has introduced national health insurance legislation in every session of Congress since succeeding his late father in 1955. The 83-year-old said, "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."
Whether or not that's true remains to be seen. The Senate has its own set of bills it is considering, and any such law would have to be resulting legislation would have to be consolidated with the House version.
The contentious issue of abortion raised its ugly head in the run-up to the final vote. Prior to voting on the final legislation, the House voted to add to the Democratic bill an amendment sponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), that prohibits individuals who receive insurance subsidies from purchasing any plan that pays for elective abortions.
It was something that had to be added if the bill was to pass. Conservatives and right-wing religious groups have railed against the possibility of any public money being spent on abortions. The Stupak amendment passed on a vote of 240-194. Additionally, the House defeated a Republican substitute for the legislation.
While some object to the bill, saying it will result in a government takeover of health care, others feel it does not go far enough. Those who want a "single payer" system like Canada's are in that group. They point to the fact that America is the only industrialized nation that does not have some from of universal health care, and note that statistics point to poor results of the U.S. health care system as-is, with the U.S. trailing far behind Canada, the U.K., and other countries with universal health care in both lifespan and infant mortality.
The House legislation would require most Americans to carry health insurance. Those who could not afford it otherwise would be provided with federal subsidies. Large companies would have to offer coverage to their employees, and both consumers and companies would be hit with penalties if they failed to follow the provisions of any new law.
The legislation also removes the insurance industry's historical exemption from federal antitrust restrictions. It requires insurers to cover even those with pre-existing medical conditions, and insurers would no longer be able to charge higher premiums on the basis of gender or past medical history.
As Dingell said, the bill is expected to expand coverage to 36 million of the currently uninsured, which would result in 96 percent of the nation's eligible population having insurance. In order to provide this coverage, however, the bill will cut Medicare's projected spending by more than $400 billion over a decade. It also imposes a tax surcharge on income over $500,000 in the case of individuals and $1 million for families, of an amount equal to 5.4 percent.
As part of the run-up to the vote Saturday night, the Democrats attracted some important friends. Not the least of them was the AARP, whose members have been concerned about the effect of legislation upon Medicare.
With the passage of the House bill, Senate debate on their form of the legislation is expected to begin in the next several days. While Democratic leaders have been working on a self-imposed deadline for passing final legislation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has indicated of late that the date may slip.
Written by Michael Santo
Posted November 8th, 2009 by Michael Santo
