WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Democratic-controlled House narrowly passed far-reaching health care legislation, handing President Barack Obama a hard-won victory on his chief domestic priority though the road ahead in the Senate promises to be rocky. The 220-215 vote late Saturday cleared the way for the Senate to begin a long-delayed debate on the issue that has come to overshadow all others in Congress. "The House bill is dead on arrival in the Senate," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday. "It was a bill written by liberals for liberals." A Democratic colleague, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, predicted an overhaul would pass the Senate because "it's essential" to the country's economic success and people's quality of life. "It will take time," he added. House Republicans were nearly unanimous in opposing the plan that would expand coverage to tens of millions of Americans and place tough new restrictions on the insurance industry. A triumphant Speaker Nancy Pelosi compared the legislation to the passage of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare 30 years later. Obama, who went to Capitol Hill on Saturday to lobby wavering Democrats, said in a statement after the vote that he looked forward to signing a bill by year's end. Republicans detailed their objections across hours of debate on the 1,990-page, $1.2 trillion legislation. "We are going to have a complete government takeover of our health care system faster than you can say, `this is making me sick,"' said Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich. In the run-up to a final vote, conservatives from the two political parties joined forces to impose tough new restrictions on abortion coverage in insurance policies to be sold to many individuals and small groups. The legislation would require most Americans to carry insurance and provide federal subsidies to those who otherwise could not afford it. Large companies would have to offer coverage to their employees. Both consumers and companies would be slapped with penalties if they defied the government's mandates. Insurance industry practices such as denying coverage because of 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 industry would also lose its exemption from federal antitrust restrictions on price fixing and market allocation. At its core, the measure would create a federally regulated marketplace where consumers could shop for coverage. In the bill's most controversial provision, the government would sell insurance, although the Congressional Budget Office forecasts that premiums for it would be more expensive than for policies sold by private companies. Graham said he thinks the government option "will destroy private health care. Nobody in this country in the insurance business can compete with a government-sponsored plan, where the government writes the benefits and politicians will never raise the premiums." Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, said that "if the public option plan is in there, as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote because I believe the debt can break America and send us into a recession that's worse than the one we're fighting our way out of today." The House bill drew the votes of 219 Democrats and Rep. Joseph Cao, a first-term Republican who holds an overwhelmingly Democratic seat in New Orleans. Opposed were 176 Republicans and 39 Democrats. From the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada issued a statement saying, "We realize the strong will for reform that exists, and we are energized that we stand closer than ever to reforming our broken health insurance system." To pay for the expansion of coverage, the bill cuts Medicare's projected spending by more than $400 billion over a decade. It also imposes a tax surcharge of 5.4 percent on income over $500,000 in the case of individuals and $1 million for families. Graham and Reed were on CBS' "Face the Nation." Lieberman appeared on "Fox News Sunday."
pixelater said on November 7, 2009 at 7:33 PM
"we will pass health care reform," and likened the events to the creation of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare 30 years later. 30 years later we know how well social security and medicare are being run. Run into the ground that is. If this is such a great Plan why don't all the politician denounce the plan they have and join the one they want to give us. When that happens I'll belive they think it is a good plan. While they're at it the can start paying into social security like the rest of us.
frred said on November 7, 2009 at 9:42 PM
So sad it is that Americans have become this moronic to support this Socialistic Domination. I sincerely cannot believe I am witnessing this in my own lifetime. It is so sickening to see America be so weak and wobbly knee'd to allow Communism to take root as is happening and more disheartening yet to see most (Un) Americans applauding it. George Washington is rolling over in his grave! We are witnessing history in the making--the fall of the Great U.S. of A.!
skippythedog said on November 8, 2009 at 10:33 AM
Buy health care from the government? I can buy my own now. If we're going to have socialized medicine, let's do it right; Coverage for all naturalized, tax paying citizens.
factoid said on November 8, 2009 at 10:34 AM
OOPS. Please insert the word 'about' in the last sentence of my comment. A Freudian slip on my part, making the case for No. 2.
factoid said on November 8, 2009 at 2:05 PM
I guess KING5.com still has some bugs to work out. My first comment disappeared, so clearly my second one makes no sense.
bazwest said on November 8, 2009 at 7:17 PM
District 2 Liberal Democrat Congressman, Rick Larsen, hunkered down and refused to answer e-mails written to him expressing concern about this bill until after falling in line with and voting for Nancy Pelosi's partisan healthcare bill. Thirty-nine courageous democrats showed leadership and voted against this partisan bill and for common sense. The true costs of this bill have been obscured and in the end we will all be stuck with another "entitlement" program that we can't afford and that doesn't fix the real issues underlying the healthcare crisis. The democrats have been running around like children in a candy store with the tax payer's money (and future money). Time to vote in change that we can afford. All of our congressional representatives come up for re-election in the 2010 mid-term elections. Lets make some changes we can really afford! Lets hope the Senate puts a stop to it before it gets to the presidents desk.
factoid said on November 8, 2009 at 8:18 PM
Well said 'bazwest', I too am telling friends and family to vote out every incumbent over the next few years, we need to take back our country. They are no longer representing their constituents. We should not be afraid of our Government, they should be afraid of us, the ones that pay the bills. I mean this in an orderly, legal, non-violent way of course. This bill is nothing more than a take over of 1/5 of the economy. The way to socialism is through dumbing down the citizens, controlling the media, and making people dependent on the Government. All three seem to be coming together.
bazwest said on November 8, 2009 at 10:30 PM
It's always easier to sell "salvation" to people who want something for nothing. The democrats are here to save us from ourselves and the evil rich people! They promise to give us everything we've ever wanted at no cost to us. "We will make the rich pay for it!" they exclaim; and we believe them. I'm reminded of the snake oil salesmen of the wild west who made their living selling special potions using brightly colored signs and evangelical vigor. "This special potion will cure you of consumption, ache's and pains, rheumatic fever, and it tastes good too!" By the time the unwary consumer realized they'd been had the salesman was long gone and so was their $20 gold piece. If this healthcare bill gets past the senate and onto the president's desk it will be signed into law with great fanfare and pomp and circumstance. But what will we have? A healthcare system that is still broken, and higher taxes. And it will be the middle class stuck holding the bag.
jackwong said on November 9, 2009 at 6:47 AM
Beware, naysayers, because change is coming and we will all soon benefit from it.
tycho said on November 9, 2009 at 12:12 PM
Wow, in the past, I'd have been proud to be a democrat, the house passing this 'HEALTH-CARE REFORM BILL' helped change my party affinity from democrat to republican! The government should have put it to a vote to the people (it would've been a resounding 'NO'), but wait, now that I think on it, we voted 'NO' and won, in regards to the tunnel option for the viaduct AND the light rail, for all the good it did us. Unfortunately, I (like most people) voted for Nichols AND Gregoire, who signed off on the tunnel option, bypassing the people's 'right to vote', as this is supposed to be a Democracy, now both are referred to as 'closet republicans'. Now President Obama has been referred to as a 'closet communist' in the past. The passing of this bill, proves just that, and pretty much anyone who voted 'YES' on this bill!