House Votes Yes on Health Care Reform

Tonight at roughly 11:15ET the United States House of Representatives made a huge statement in the Health Care debate. They were able after months of discussion and a special Saturday session of business to finally put the House Health Care Reform Bill to a vote. After a lengthy vote, the House voted in favor of the Health Care Reform Bill by a vote of 220-215. It was mostly a partisan vote unfortunately as only one yes vote was cast by a Republican member, Joe Cao of Louisiana. The plan will now make its way to the Senate, where it will certainly be picked and prodded.

This landmark legislation will look to expand health care coverage to tens of millions who lack it and place tough new restrictions on the insurance industry. Two things that all long overdue. The Democratic Party has labored for decades to provide universal health care, but there has not been a vast change in policy since the 1965 passage of Medicare and Medicaid. Now that the vote has cleared the House hurdle, it will most likely be in the Senate for much of the rest of 2009; if not into early 2010. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, will look to pick up where Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi left off and get the legislation to a floor vote as soon as possible.

President Obama called for a special Saturday session and implored that the handful of Democrats who were wavering or uncertain to put aside party politics and such and make an important vote for the people of the United States. Obama embraced this vote and the bill's future as a historic moment in the annals of American History. The House legislation encompasses every individual being required to obtain insurance and would require all but the smallest employers to provide coverage to their workers. Also, this legislation would expand Medicaid and generate a new marketplace for people to obtain federal subsidies to buy insurance from private companies or from the government-run plan.

The Republicans, before and after the vote, blasted the almost 2,000 page bill as a budget busting, government takeover of the health care system that would put burdens on individuals and companies. Many in the party voice this plan and legislation as a big step toward a single payer national health care system.

Under the House bill, private insurers could no longer deny anyone coverage based on preexisting conditions nor place lifetime limits on coverage or abandon people when they become ill. It would immediately offer discounts on prescription drugs and reduce a gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage. In four years time, the measure would establish a new insurance system. Businesses with payrolls over $500,000 would be required to offer their workers insurance or pay a fine of as much as 8% of payroll. Likewise, individuals would be required to obtain insurance or pay a fine of as much as 2.5% of their income.

Divisions amongst the parties were clear fairly early on and continue. Conservatives did not like the price tag of the bill and its limited efforts to cut cost. Moderates were cautious of big government overtones in the public option. And Democrats from districts with wealthier constituents opposed the tax on high earners. These obstacles were able to be overcome and things seemed going positive until abortion entered the conversation. Representative Bart Stupak, from Michigan, proposed an amendment that swung a bunch of Democrats in the House toward voting for the bill.

Despite its challenges, the bill has emerged from the House floor and will enter the Senate chamber. There the public option and Stupak amendment will most likely be discusses amongst other detailed and heated areas of the legislation that has bounced around for the last few months. Republicans will certainly continue their united front against the bill; thus Harry Reid and the Democrats must bond together through their few different views.