posted March 21, 2010 11:51 PM         

Congress clears historic health care bill

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent David Espo, Ap Special Correspondent – 24 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Summoned to success by President Barack Obama, the Democratic-controlled Congress approved historic legislation Sunday night extending health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and cracking down on insurance company abuses, a climactic chapter in the century-long quest for near universal coverage.

Widely viewed as dead two months ago, the Senate-passed bill cleared the House on a 219-212 vote. Republicans were unanimous in opposition, joined by 34 dissident Democrats.

Obama watched the vote in the White House's Roosevelt Room with Vice President Joe Biden and about 40 staff aides. When the long sought 216th vote came in — the magic number needed for passage — the room burst into applause and hugs. An exultant president exchanged a high-five with his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.

A second, smaller measure — making changes in the first — was lined up for passage later in the evening. It would then go to the Senate, where Democratic leaders said they had the votes to pass it.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the legislation awaiting the president's approval would extend coverage to 32 million Americans who lack it, ban insurers from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions and cut deficits by an estimated $138 billion over a decade. If realized, the expansion of coverage would include 95 percent of all eligible individuals under age 65.

For the first time, most Americans would be required to purchase insurance, and face penalties if they refused. Much of the money in the bill would be devoted to subsidies to help families at incomes of up to $88,000 a year pay their premiums.

Far beyond the political ramifications — a concern the president repeatedly insisted he paid no mind — were the sweeping changes the bill held in store for millions of individuals, the insurance companies that would come under tougher control and the health care providers, many of whom would face higher taxes.

Crowds of protesters outside the Capitol shouted "just vote no" in a futile attempt to stop the inevitable taking place inside a House packed with lawmakers and ringed with spectators in the galleries above.

Across hours of debate, House Democrats predicted the larger of the two bills, costing $940 billion over a decade, would rank with other great social legislation of recent decades.

"We will be joining those who established Social Security, Medicare and now, tonight, health care for all Americans, said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, partner to Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in the grueling campaign to pass the legislation.

"This is the civil rights act of the 21st century," added Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the top-ranking black member of the House.

Republicans readily agreed the bill would affect everyone in America, but warned repeatedly of the burden imposed by more than $900 billion in tax increases and Medicare cuts combined.

"We have failed to listen to America," said Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, leader of a party that has vowed to carry the fight into the fall's midterm elections for control of Congress.

The final obstacle to the bill's passage was cleared at mid-afternoon when Obama and Democratic leaders reached a compromise with anti-abortion lawmakers whose rebellion had left the outcome in doubt. The White House announced he would issue an executive order pledging that no federal funds would be used for elective abortion, satisfying Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan and a handful of like-minded lawmakers.

A spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed skepticism that the presidential order would satisfy the church's objections.

Republican abortion foes also said Obama's proposed order was insufficient, and when Stupak sought to counter them, a shout of "baby killer" could be heard coming from the Republican side of the chamber.

The measure would also usher in a significant expansion of Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor. Coverage would be required for incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, $29,327 a year for a family of four. Childless adults would be covered for the first time, starting in 2014.

The insurance industry, which spent millions on advertising trying to block the bill, would come under new federal regulation. They would be forbidden from placing lifetime dollar limits on policies, from denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions and from canceling policies when a policyholder becomes ill.

Parents would be able to keep children up to age 26 on their family insurance plans, three years longer than is now the case.

A new high-risk pool would offer coverage to uninsured people with medical problems until 2014, when the coverage expansion would go into high gear.

For the president, the events capped an 18-day stretch in which he traveled to four states and lobbied more than 60 wavering lawmakers in person or by phone to secure passage of his signature domestic issue. According to some who met with him, he warned that the bill's demise could cripple his still-young presidency.

After more than a year of political combat, Democrats piled superlative upon superlative across several hours of House debate.

Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York read a message President Franklin Roosevelt sent Congress in 1939 urging lawmakers to address the needs of those without health care, and said Democrat Harry Truman and Republican Richard Nixon had also sought to broaden insurance coverage.

Republicans attacked the bill without let-up, warning it would harm the economy while mandating a government takeover of the health care system.

"The American people know you can't reduce health care costs by spending $1 trillion or raising taxes by more than one-half trillion dollars. The American people know that you cannot cut Medicare by over one-half trillion dollars without hurting seniors," said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich.

"And, the American people know that you can't create an entirely new government entitlement program without exploding spending and the deficit."

Obama has said often that presidents of both parties have tried without success to achieve national health insurance, beginning with Theodore Roosevelt early in the 20th century.

The 44th president's quest to succeed where others have failed seemed at a dead end two months ago, when Republicans won a special election for a Massachusetts Senate seat, and with it, the votes to prevent a final vote.

But the White House, Pelosi and Reid soon came up with a rescue plan that required the House to approve the Senate-passed measure despite opposition to many of its provisions, then have both houses pass a fix-it measure incorporating numerous changes.

To pay for the changes, the legislation includes more than $400 billion in higher taxes over a decade, roughly half of it from a new Medicare payroll tax on individuals with incomes over $200,000 and couples over $250,000. A new excise tax on high-cost insurance policies was significantly scaled back in deference to complaints from organized labor.

In addition, the bills cut more than $500 billion from planned payments to hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and other providers that treat Medicare patients. An estimated $200 billion would reduce planned subsidies to insurance companies that offer a private alternative to traditional Medicare.

The insurance industry warned that seniors would face sharply higher premiums as a result, and the Congressional Budget Office said many would return to traditional Medicare as a result.

The subsidies are higher than those for seniors on traditional Medicare, a difference that critics complain is wasteful, but insurance industry officials argue goes into expanded benefits.

____

posted March 22, 2010 12:06 AM         

I got this email from Obama administration. I am on their mailing list since the late in Democratic primary.

For the first time in our nation's history, Congress has passed comprehensive health care reform. America waited a hundred years and fought for decades to reach this moment. Tonight, thanks to you, we are finally here.

Consider the staggering scope of what you have just accomplished:

Because of you, every American will finally be guaranteed high quality, affordable health care coverage.

Every American will be covered under the toughest patient protections in history. Arbitrary premium hikes, insurance cancellations, and discrimination against pre-existing conditions will now be gone forever.

And we'll finally start reducing the cost of care -- creating millions of jobs, preventing families and businesses from plunging into bankruptcy, and removing over a trillion dollars of debt from the backs of our children.

But the victory that matters most tonight goes beyond the laws and far past the numbers.

It is the peace of mind enjoyed by every American, no longer one injury or illness away from catastrophe.

It is the workers and entrepreneurs who are now freed to pursue their slice of the American dream without fear of losing coverage or facing a crippling bill.

And it is the immeasurable joy of families in every part of this great nation, living happier, healthier lives together because they can finally receive the vital care they need.

This is what change looks like.

My gratitude tonight is profound. I am thankful for those in past generations whose heroic efforts brought this great goal within reach for our times. I am thankful for the members of Congress whose months of effort and brave votes made it possible to take this final step. But most of all, I am thankful for you.

This day is not the end of this journey. Much hard work remains, and we have a solemn responsibility to do it right. But we can face that work together with the confidence of those who have moved mountains.

Our journey began three years ago, driven by a shared belief that fundamental change is indeed still possible. We have worked hard together every day since to deliver on that belief.

We have shared moments of tremendous hope, and we've faced setbacks and doubt. We have all been forced to ask if our politics had simply become too polarized and too short-sighted to meet the pressing challenges of our time. This struggle became a test of whether the American people could still rally together when the cause was right -- and actually create the change we believe in.

Tonight, thanks to your mighty efforts, the answer is indisputable: Yes we can.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

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"Nothing matters absolutely;
the truth is it only matters relatively"

posted March 22, 2010 12:17 AM         

Dear Raymond,

It is with mixed emotions that I write with news that, tonight, the House of Representatives passed the health-reform bill.

I am extremely disappointed to tell you that the final package includes the insulting, unworkable Nelson restriction on abortion coverage in the new system.

As you may recall, the Nelson language requires Americans in the new system to write two separate checks if the health plan they choose includes abortion coverage. This unacceptable bureaucratic stigmatization could cause insurance carriers to stop covering abortion care. This would represent a major setback, given that more than 85 percent of private plans cover this care for women today.

Despite this totally unacceptable anti-choice provision, reform will bring more than 30 million Americans into a system that includes affordable family-planning services and maternity care for women. It also outlaws some discriminatory insurance-industry practices that make health care more expensive for women. Improving women’s access to birth control and prenatal care and making reproductive-health care more affordable are also at the core of our mission.

Here at NARAL Pro-Choice America, we struggled with the dilemma of how to respond to a bill that included both positive and disappointing provisions for reproductive health. Ultimately, we determined that we could not endorse this bill due to the abortion-coverage restrictions. But, we also could not, in good conscience, call for the bill’s outright defeat and deny millions of American women the promise of better—although imperfect—health-care services that are an important part of our pro-choice values.

That these abortion-coverage restrictions remained in the bill is terrible news for all of us who believe that American women should not have to sacrifice their right to choose in order to gain ground in other areas of health care. It is an outrage that anti-choice politicians such as Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) used women’s reproductive health as a bargaining chip.

But, believe me when I say that Congress and the White House have not heard the last from us. NARAL Pro-Choice America does not accept this bill as the final word on how abortion coverage will be defined in the new health-care system. We are committed to finding opportunities to repeal dangerous and unacceptable restrictions as the new system takes shape.

Thank you for standing with us for so many months. We will keep fighting to elect pro-choice members who share our pro-choice values.

Nancy Keenan
President, NARAL Pro-Choice America

------------------
"Nothing matters absolutely;
the truth is it only matters relatively"

posted March 22, 2010 12:17 AM         

Just for the record, I'm not against Canada or Scandinavian type UHC, though I have my doubts about it working in the USA as well as it does there. I'd prefer other systems not being discussed, but that's beside the point. But what passed in Washington isn't what Canada has.

posted March 22, 2010 08:54 AM         

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What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world is immortal"~

posted March 22, 2010 09:07 AM         

the one thing i have not seen in any of these discussions is actual quotes of the despicable parts of this bill. what is wrong with cutting the waste out of medicare?

please, i would love to see some detailed and factual descriptions of the downsides from those who are against this thing. there is still quite a lot of time for amendment you know~

apparently rush limbaugh has retracted his statement that he will move to costa rica if this passes, saying:

"I've had all kinds of reporters: "Are you serious? Do you really mean this?" So I've had to patiently explain today to people who do not bother to stay informed on this stuff what the genesis and the primary context of my comment was. I said, "Look, there are insurance companies who don't want to be put out of business." We've talked to them on the program. I've talked to them privately. They are establishing health care clinics with quality doctors in places like Costa Rica. They're going to continue to sell policies to people who have the ability to fly down there and get treatment. If I have to get thrown into this massive government health care insurance business and end up going to the driver's license office every day when I need to go to the doctor, yeah, I'll go to Costa Rica for treatment, not move there."

so rather than avail himself of the national healthcare HERE, he will go to costa rica and take advantage of THEIR nationalized healthcare. go figure...some patriot eh?

posted March 22, 2010 09:53 AM         

Sorry to see you missed it. Don't worry katatonic because over the next 7 months leading up to midterm elections, Conservatives are going to take this legislation apart line by line and rub Socialist noses in their own shiiiit. Every secret deal to buy congressional votes will also be laid bare and trotted out for America to see.

In addition to that, 37 states...as of this post are considering filing federal lawsuits against O'BomberCare and at least 2 are already in the works.

Remember, this is FEDERAL legislation. As such, it must comply with every provision of the US Constitution and all amendments thereto.

Take a look at the 14th Amendment and tell me how special deals and immunities from the provisions of O'BomberCare for some states and groups at the expense of others stacks up against these words:

Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Also, there are provisions of this legislation which will be challenged using the Interstate Commerce Clause.

Also, look for lawsuits against O'BomberCare based on the 9th and 10th Amendments. There is absolutely no language in the US Constitution authorizing Federal government jurisdiction over the health care of Americans. If that jurisdiction exists at all, it's a state jurisdiction or best left to the people.

Those Socialist blinkers you wear sure do obscure you field of vision.

For these Socialist Progressive demoscats, this legislation is a lose/lose situation.

They're going to get their political houses burned to the ground on November 2, 2010 AND the shiiit they rammed down America's throat is going to be declared unconstitutional.

posted March 22, 2010 02:56 PM         

It's pathetic how many people here just fight within their own country and become more polarized and divided. Never looking for common ground. Never wanting to take the middle road.
Sad.
Go ahead and wallow in your misery. Complain about your terrible president who you have a love affair with for 5 minutes and then start disliking once he turns human. Or hating him all along as he's just another SYMBOL to you... not human at all. It's completely naive.

posted March 22, 2010 04:51 PM         

almost exact Sun-Eris opposition in Right Ascension!

I am a liberal and Democrat that donated to President Obama's campaign and voted for him in the General Election.

I have no problems with him.

The things that he can do is limited. He needs the help of Congress.

He's just the damned if he does,damned if he doesn't.

He has Sun trine/contraparallel Eris.

He was elected when there was a minor grand trine of Venus,Neptune,and Eris.

Raymond

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"Nothing matters absolutely;
the truth is it only matters relatively"

posted March 22, 2010 05:17 PM         

And as for what it is specifically? That's what I'd like to know. But TPTB aren't giving specifics, so how can we? (Maybe they haven't read what they were voting on again?) So much for the transparency Obama promised, but what's one more broken promise?

posted March 22, 2010 06:20 PM         

quote:

---

-
why is it shite, juni? have you read it? which parts do you object to most?

---

Forced health care is unconstitutional.. note the 9th Amendment.

At best, forced health care is a State`s right... note 10th Amendment.

As jwhop noted, it isn`t over yet , watch the States sue now (and with good reason).

No blinders here, I saw up close and personal how on time credit card payers are being hit with Obama`s "unseen consequences" of the credit card reforms... what unseen consequences do you suppose the people will get hit with this reform??
juni

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What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world is immortal"~

posted March 22, 2010 06:21 PM         

And personally I'm worried about the fines. I can't afford it, it won't cover me (not unless I can get a lawyer to get it for me), and if I get caught avoid buying insurance (which you don't have to buy in Canada and other socialized places, btw) then the fine will likely make me homeless.

Then people will say I should be glad that the government exists now that I'm homeless and be unable to comprehend that it made me homeless in the first place. Perhaps I should be grateful to someone who breaks my legs, too, as long as they consider giving me crutches after.

posted March 22, 2010 06:48 PM         

From that thread:

INSURANCE MANDATE: Almost everyone is required to be insured or else pay a fine. There is an exemption for low-income people. Mandate takes effect in 2014.

But:

Childless adults would be covered for the first time, starting in 2014. The federal government would pay 100 percent of costs for covering newly eligible individuals through 2016.

As in the Senate bill, businesses are not required to offer coverage. Instead, employers are hit with a fee if the government subsidizes their workers' coverage.

SUBSIDIES: The proposal provides more generous tax credits for purchasing insurance than the original Senate bill did. The aid is available on a sliding scale for households making up to four times the federal poverty level, $88,200 for a family of four. Premiums for a family of four making $44,000 would be capped at around 6 percent of income.

posted March 22, 2010 08:39 PM         

is health not part of the general welfare of the people and therefore of the united states? a matter of interpretation whether the 9th contradicts that power, isn't it?

especially in a world where all the other civilized nations provide not only for their own but for visitors' health?

posted March 22, 2010 10:17 PM         

As a military veteran with service connected disability, I didn't have to pay for exams,physicals,blood tests,neurological tests,and neuropsychological tests at the Veteran Affairs hospital.

also what about people in the military and other government organizations?

Raymond

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"Nothing matters absolutely;
the truth is it only matters relatively"

posted March 22, 2010 11:14 PM         

far better if the opposition had made an effort to turn this into a stronger bill in the first place. play for the whole game or nothing at all...well hardly anyone ever gets the whole game, do they?

i welcome input from the republicans. it should have come BEFORE but there's still time, i've already agreed with jwhop that it's not ALL over yet. and i wouldn't count my seats-in-november yet.

despite the demonizing of the president and everything he has done, including being born, this is not going to be that easy to undo. alter, maybe, undo...no.

posted March 22, 2010 11:20 PM         

They're going down.

If you think Americans are pi$$ed now, just wait until they learn the IRS is authorized by O'BomberCare to rummage around in their bank accounts, withdraw money from individuals bank accounts...all without a trial or court order, fine individuals up to $250,000 and impose prison sentences up to 5 years.