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House Passes Health Care Reform
Update: The Democrats' health care reform bill passed the House on Saturday night by a vote of 220-215. Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.), who represents a district that voted 75% for President Barack Obama, was the only Republican to vote in favor. Thirty-nine Democrats voted against the bill. All the focus is now on the Senate, where Harry Reid has to find 60 votes to fend off a filibuster and allow the bill to move forward.
Despite all the compromises that have been made, this is a historic achievement for Democrats. This is the farthest that universal health care has ever gotten, and the stakes get even higher with each step forward.
Here's my original post from early Saturday evening, before the bill passed:
The House of Representatives is voting on health care reform tonight. Right now, there's a vote on Rep. Bart Stupak's (D-Mich.) amendment that would prevent people who receive subsidies to help them buy health insurance from purchasing plans that cover abortion. Stupak and his supporters say that they are maintaining existing law by prohibiting federal funding for abortion; pro-choice members of Congress point out that the amendment would mean that most private health insurance plans would have to stop covering abortion if they hoped to compete. The amendment is expected to pass. UPDATE: It passed.
You can follow this action and more from on twitter, where MoJoers are covering the action. I'm @nickbaumann—@rachel_c_morris and @davidcorndc are also providing frequent updates. Check out what we are tweeting and follow the staff of @MotherJones with one click.
Health Care Reform - HR bill
I am still perusing reports as to the exact nature of this legislation but I fear the worst.
If the nature of the Public Option is as restricted in the House version as in the Senate, there won't be much there, there. If the Public Option is only opened to those not currently covered by insurance or to support small businesses not otherwise able to command much leverage in the market place, you can be assured that this is a boon to the Insurance industry and a body blow to the Middle Class (what's new?).
This restriction will likely create a population of folks who have not been insured for a while and who probably have not seen medical personnel much in the past. This will likely be folks who, having deferred medical attention, will be facing more immediate requirements for substantial care, threatening the viability of the anemic Public Option offering right off the bat.
This group will not be one shared with those more likely to have received reasonable medical care but, for one reason or another, became dissatified with their private offering because that sector has been excluded! Too much outlay and not enough balance. Sounds like a death knell to me. Whatda ya know? The Public Option was defeated after all!
That I, fortunate enough to have an extensive private medical policy, will be left with no option (having been excluded from opting for the Public Option) is more than merely puzzling. Its bait 'n switch.
This year my medical insurance premium share will rise 8.8% and my option for confronting the "free market" private insurance behemoth is rooting around other uncontested offerings by the industry, at large, especially since medical insurance will be virtually mandatory.
The Public Option, as seriously configured, was never meant to squeeze private offerings from the market but to temper the medical insurance community, protected by an established anti-competitive arrangement, into performing in a more cost effective manner and passing those savings on to the consumer. Without a viable Public Option, this is just a windfall to the Insurance industry from their favorite benefactors.
Nothing like the initial sales job. A Pox on both their houses. I'm inclined to root for its defeat, in that case.
House Passes Health Care Reform
You point out that "Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.), who represents a district that voted 75% for President Barack Obama", which made the vote 220-215.
Let us not forget that all weather is local.
Health Care Reform
tagged as:- result
Yeah well he must not want to be re-elected in 2010! We could stop this tyrannical government by not paying our taxes and not feeding our bank accounts! Everything that this government is doing is against the Constitution and illegal!
A review of commentary on this entry, this far
Outside of handyzubehör (who I couldn't disagree with more), the rest seem to comment lightly and all to easily fall into the self-promotional mode. How odd. And even handyzubehör links to a commercial venture! Oy! Sometimes, the MJ commentary seems the best part of the publication from an entertainment point-of-view. It must be the frivalous nature of the subject matter.
That I, fortunate enough to
tagged as:- solution
That I, fortunate enough to have an extensive private medical policy.