Oh, F-: Obamacare Passes House Vote
Nov 7, 2009 71 Comments ›› Erik Wong
The US House of Representatives has backed a healthcare bill in a step towards reforms promised by President Obama, despite strong opposition.
Passed in a narrow 220-215 vote, the bill aims to extend coverage to 36 million more Americans and provide affordable healthcare to 96%.
The bill now has to be reconciled with a separate Senate draft law.
President Obama has made reform of America’s healthcare system a central plank of his domestic agenda.
He described Saturday’s vote in the House as “historic”, saying he was “absolutely confident” the Senate would also back it.
Correspondents say the legislation could lead to the biggest changes in American healthcare in decades.
Concessions
The bill was supported by 219 Democrats and one Republican – Joseph Cao from New Orleans. Opposed were 176 Republicans and 39 Democrats.
Before Saturday’s vote, Mr Obama made a rare visit to Congress to try to persuade wavering members of his own Democratic Party to back the bill.
He said such opportunities came around “maybe once in a generation”.
The bill would allow the government to sell insurance in competition with private companies and make insurers offer cover to those with pre-existing conditions.
But this so-called “public option” had been scaled back in the wrangling that preceded the House vote.
In the run-up to the vote, conservatives from both the Republican and Democratic parties joined forces to pass new restrictions on abortion coverage in insurance policies to be offered to individuals and groups.
The amendment had been offered to conservative Democrats as a means of persuading them to vote for the main bill.
A Senate debate on the bill the healthcare reform is expected in the coming days.
