By Cody Schuman
Over the weekend, the House of Representatives passed their version of the healthcare bill with a narrow margin 220-215. The vote turned out to be much closer than many suspected, considering the huge majority the democrats have in the house.
The nearly 2,000 page bill did included the, highly debated, “public option,” which would make available an affordable option for Americans who are unable to financially support it. The legislation also would require Americans to be covered regardless of pre-existing conditions. The government-sold insurance, however, is actually predicted at this time to be more expensive than many private insurers.
President Obama was pleased with the house’s decision to pass the bill, releasing a statement saying, “I look forward to signing it into law by the end of the year.” Exciting cheers and applause from the Democrats concluded the night’s vote. “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 Rep. John Dingell.
Despite lobbying for bi-partisan cooperation on healthcare, all but one republican voted against the measure. Two-hundred nineteen democrats voted in favor of the Affordable Healthcare for America Act, while 39, so called “blue-dog,” democrats sided with the republicans. In a statement released by the Republican National Committee after the vote, republicans called the bill a, “Government run health care experiment that will increase families’ care costs, increase the deficit, increase taxes on small businesses and middle class and cut Medicare.” The bill is expected to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.2 trillion.
While Saturday night’s vote proved to be a milestone for Democrats and proponents of healthcare reform, many question whether or not this bill will advance through the Senate. Many democrats in the senate are skeptical of the public option and are not in favor of many of the provisions that made it through the house.
The Senate now must pass their version of a healthcare reform bill. The two bills will then be put into one final bill which must be passed and signed by the president before becoming a law.
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