Health care reform clears one major hurdle, faces more
By: Shirley Hung & Brianna Keilar
From: November, 2009
Narrow passage of a sweeping health care bill by the House of Representatives portends a continuing difficult fight for President Obama and fellow Democrats to get a bill through the Senate and into law. Late Saturday night, the House voted 220-215 -- with 39 Democrats opposed and one Republican in favor -- to approve what would be the biggest expansion of health care coverage since Medicare was created more than 40 years ago.
The Affordable Health Care for America Act, or H.R. 3962, restricts insurance companies from denying coverage to anyone with a pre-existing condition or charging higher premiums based on gender or medical history. It also provides federal subsidies to those who cannot afford health insurance. And it guarantees coverage for 96 percent of Americans, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
But turning the bill into law remains uncertain. The Senate must now pass its own version of a health care bill, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada last week indicated uncertainty over whether that will happen this year.
Obama said after the House vote that he was "absolutely confident" the Senate will follow suit in passing its version of the bill.
Once both chambers have passed a bill, a congressional conference committee will merge the two proposals into a consensus version that would require final approval from each chamber and Obama's signature.
"I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year," he said.
However, Republicans and an independent senator who sits with the Democratic caucus signaled Sunday that difficulties remain for Obama on his top domestic priority.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, reiterated he would join a Republican filibuster against a health care bill if it contains a government-run public health insurance option following the chamber's amendment process.
Speaking on "FOX News Sunday," Lieberman called the controversial public option, which is in the House bill and the Senate version being prepared by Reid, an unnecessary provision intended to bring government-run health insurance in the future.
From: November, 2009
Narrow passage of a sweeping health care bill by the House of Representatives portends a continuing difficult fight for President Obama and fellow Democrats to get a bill through the Senate and into law. Late Saturday night, the House voted 220-215 -- with 39 Democrats opposed and one Republican in favor -- to approve what would be the biggest expansion of health care coverage since Medicare was created more than 40 years ago.
The Affordable Health Care for America Act, or H.R. 3962, restricts insurance companies from denying coverage to anyone with a pre-existing condition or charging higher premiums based on gender or medical history. It also provides federal subsidies to those who cannot afford health insurance. And it guarantees coverage for 96 percent of Americans, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
But turning the bill into law remains uncertain. The Senate must now pass its own version of a health care bill, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada last week indicated uncertainty over whether that will happen this year.
Obama said after the House vote that he was "absolutely confident" the Senate will follow suit in passing its version of the bill.
Once both chambers have passed a bill, a congressional conference committee will merge the two proposals into a consensus version that would require final approval from each chamber and Obama's signature.
"I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year," he said.
However, Republicans and an independent senator who sits with the Democratic caucus signaled Sunday that difficulties remain for Obama on his top domestic priority.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, reiterated he would join a Republican filibuster against a health care bill if it contains a government-run public health insurance option following the chamber's amendment process.
Speaking on "FOX News Sunday," Lieberman called the controversial public option, which is in the House bill and the Senate version being prepared by Reid, an unnecessary provision intended to bring government-run health insurance in the future.
