U.S. House passes healthcare overhaul
In a major victory for the president, Democratic leaders get the Senate version passed, then engineer passage of a package designed to reconcile that bill and the one OKd by the House last year.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of the House Democratic Caucus members marched to the House Chamber for the start of the session where they passed historic healthcare legislation. She holds a gavel used to pass Medicare legislation in 1965, (March 21, 2010)
By Noam N. Levey, Janet Hook, Mark Silva and Michael Muskal
March 21, 2010 8:36 p.m.
Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington
Delivering a hard-fought victory in President Obama's yearlong pursuit of a national healthcare overhaul, a divided House narrowly approved legislation Sunday night that could reshape the way Americans deal with wellness and illness.
House Democratic leaders proved they could hold the majority caucus together, passing the Senate version of the healthcare legislation, 219-212, after weeks of arm-twisting and politicking. Thirty-four Democrats opposed the bill, as did all Republicans.
The House then approved, by a vote of 220-211, a package designed to reconcile differences between the bill approved by both chambers and one approved by the House in November. That measure now goes to the Senate where, under a "budget reconciliation" process, it can be passed by a simple majority vote.
Led by Obama, Democrats made healthcare the centerpiece of their domestic agenda in this midterm election year.
Republicans oppose the legislation, arguing it is too expensive and broadens government powers too much. They argue that the majority Democrats have rammed the bill through, avoiding GOP policy suggestions.
Democrats accuse the Republicans of refusing to negotiate in order to hand Obama a major political defeat. Democrats also say they have incorporated some Republican suggestions into the final legislation.
The House debate illustrated all points of view.
"I know this bill is complicated, but it's also very simple," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). "Illness and infirmity are universal, but we are stronger against them together than we are alone. . . . In that shared strength is our nation's strength."
As the outcome of the vote appeared certain, Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) told the House: "Perhaps it's time for Washington to stop talking and start listening. . . . I'm listening to the thousands of citizens who traveled to our nation's capital this weekend to tell us, in no uncertain terms, they want us to kill this bill."
Democratic leaders hailed the healthcare overhaul as historic legislation on par with the enactment of Social Security after the Great Depression and Medicare in the 1960s.
Underscoring that sense of history, House Rules Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) brought to the floor and read from a copy of the typed 1939 letter that President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent to Congress asking it to make a national healthcare program part of the Social Security Act.
"This is a historic day, and we are happy warriors," said Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) in an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union." "We will be a part of history, joining Franklin Delano Roosevelt's passage of Social Security, Lyndon Johnson's passage of Medicare and now Barack Obama's passage of healthcare."
Republicans didn't see it that way.
"Some say we're making history. I say we're breaking history," said Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.).
"Only in Washington, D.C., could you say you're going to spend $1 trillion and save the taxpayers money," he said. "This Congress is poised to ignore the will of the majority of the American people. . . . This is the people's House, and the people don't want a government takeover of healthcare."
"This trillion-dollar tragedy is just bad medicine," Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) said.
A key development in the legislative fight occurred Sunday afternoon, when the White House announced Obama would issue an executive order asserting that the healthcare bill would not interfere with an existing ban on federal funding for abortions.
"While the legislation as written maintains current law," White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said in a statement, "the executive order provides additional safeguards to ensure that the status quo is upheld and enforced, and that the healthcare legislation's restrictions against the public funding of abortions cannot be circumvented."
The move was intended as a signal to conservative Democrats in the House, led by Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, that they can lend their votes to healthcare legislation.
In a news conference after the White House announcement, Stupak and six of his Democratic colleagues said they would vote for the bill. Making no apologies for holding the bill up until the agreement was reached, Stupak said: "We've all stood on principle. . . . We've always said we were for healthcare reform, but there was a principle that means more to us than anything -- the sanctity of life."
Republicans urged abortion opponents not to be swayed.
"An executive order is not law," Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) argued on the House floor.
Under the legislation, most Americans for the first time would be required to purchase insurance, and they would face penalties if they failed to do so. The bill includes billions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks to make insurance more affordable, and it also provides for an expansion of Medicaid, the government healthcare program for the poor.
The healthcare legislation would extend coverage to about 32 million uninsured people and would impose new rules on insurance companies to prevent them from denying benefits because of preexisting conditions. To help those who must buy their own insurance, it would establish insurance exchanges to increase competition among insurance companies.
It calls for new taxes and fees as well as cuts in Medicare, the insurance program for the elderly.
Democrats argue the cuts would eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, and Republicans contend the cuts would decrease services for the aged.
The healthcare plan would cost $940 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. But Republicans disputed the numbers.
"The oldest trick in the book in Washington is you can manipulate a bill to manipulate the results," Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told the House. "This bill is a fiscal Frankenstein."
In a closed-door caucus for Democrats before the vote, Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and veteran of the civil rights movement who reportedly faced racial epithets from protesters outside the Capitol on Saturday, reminded his colleagues that they were acting on healthcare on the 45th anniversary of the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama. Lewis was beaten in an infamous confrontation with police during the first of those marches.
On the House floor later, Lewis emotionally implored his colleagues to "answer the call of history. . . . Give healthcare a chance."
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) quoted his father, the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, a career-long champion of healthcare reform.
"The parallel between the struggle for civil rights and the fight to make healthcare affordable for all Americans is significant," Kennedy said. "Healthcare is not only a civil right. It's a moral issue."
Democrats and Obama plan to devote the next few months to making sure consumers understand its benefits of the bill. One of the most important documents in their arsenal is a list prepared by their leadership of the provisions of the bill that kick in almost immediately, including the guarantee that children will not be denied coverage for preexisting conditions and the provision allowing young adults to remain on their parents' policies.
But some Democrats are still anxious that voters will now blame the president and the Democrats for everything that goes wrong -- from long lines at the pharmacy to delays in processing insurance claims -- whether they are attributable to the healthcare bill or not.
noam.levey@latimes.com
janet.hook@latimes.com
michael.muskal@latimes.com
mdsilva@tribune.com
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of the House Democratic Caucus members marched to the House Chamber for the start of the session where they passed historic healthcare legislation. She holds a gavel used to pass Medicare legislation in 1965, (March 21, 2010)
By Noam N. Levey, Janet Hook, Mark Silva and Michael Muskal
March 21, 2010 8:36 p.m.
Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington
Delivering a hard-fought victory in President Obama's yearlong pursuit of a national healthcare overhaul, a divided House narrowly approved legislation Sunday night that could reshape the way Americans deal with wellness and illness.
House Democratic leaders proved they could hold the majority caucus together, passing the Senate version of the healthcare legislation, 219-212, after weeks of arm-twisting and politicking. Thirty-four Democrats opposed the bill, as did all Republicans.
The House then approved, by a vote of 220-211, a package designed to reconcile differences between the bill approved by both chambers and one approved by the House in November. That measure now goes to the Senate where, under a "budget reconciliation" process, it can be passed by a simple majority vote.
Led by Obama, Democrats made healthcare the centerpiece of their domestic agenda in this midterm election year.
Republicans oppose the legislation, arguing it is too expensive and broadens government powers too much. They argue that the majority Democrats have rammed the bill through, avoiding GOP policy suggestions.
Democrats accuse the Republicans of refusing to negotiate in order to hand Obama a major political defeat. Democrats also say they have incorporated some Republican suggestions into the final legislation.
The House debate illustrated all points of view.
"I know this bill is complicated, but it's also very simple," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). "Illness and infirmity are universal, but we are stronger against them together than we are alone. . . . In that shared strength is our nation's strength."
As the outcome of the vote appeared certain, Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) told the House: "Perhaps it's time for Washington to stop talking and start listening. . . . I'm listening to the thousands of citizens who traveled to our nation's capital this weekend to tell us, in no uncertain terms, they want us to kill this bill."
Democratic leaders hailed the healthcare overhaul as historic legislation on par with the enactment of Social Security after the Great Depression and Medicare in the 1960s.
Underscoring that sense of history, House Rules Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) brought to the floor and read from a copy of the typed 1939 letter that President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent to Congress asking it to make a national healthcare program part of the Social Security Act.
"This is a historic day, and we are happy warriors," said Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) in an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union." "We will be a part of history, joining Franklin Delano Roosevelt's passage of Social Security, Lyndon Johnson's passage of Medicare and now Barack Obama's passage of healthcare."
Republicans didn't see it that way.
"Some say we're making history. I say we're breaking history," said Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.).
"Only in Washington, D.C., could you say you're going to spend $1 trillion and save the taxpayers money," he said. "This Congress is poised to ignore the will of the majority of the American people. . . . This is the people's House, and the people don't want a government takeover of healthcare."
"This trillion-dollar tragedy is just bad medicine," Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) said.
A key development in the legislative fight occurred Sunday afternoon, when the White House announced Obama would issue an executive order asserting that the healthcare bill would not interfere with an existing ban on federal funding for abortions.
"While the legislation as written maintains current law," White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said in a statement, "the executive order provides additional safeguards to ensure that the status quo is upheld and enforced, and that the healthcare legislation's restrictions against the public funding of abortions cannot be circumvented."
The move was intended as a signal to conservative Democrats in the House, led by Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, that they can lend their votes to healthcare legislation.
In a news conference after the White House announcement, Stupak and six of his Democratic colleagues said they would vote for the bill. Making no apologies for holding the bill up until the agreement was reached, Stupak said: "We've all stood on principle. . . . We've always said we were for healthcare reform, but there was a principle that means more to us than anything -- the sanctity of life."
Republicans urged abortion opponents not to be swayed.
"An executive order is not law," Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) argued on the House floor.
Under the legislation, most Americans for the first time would be required to purchase insurance, and they would face penalties if they failed to do so. The bill includes billions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks to make insurance more affordable, and it also provides for an expansion of Medicaid, the government healthcare program for the poor.
The healthcare legislation would extend coverage to about 32 million uninsured people and would impose new rules on insurance companies to prevent them from denying benefits because of preexisting conditions. To help those who must buy their own insurance, it would establish insurance exchanges to increase competition among insurance companies.
It calls for new taxes and fees as well as cuts in Medicare, the insurance program for the elderly.
Democrats argue the cuts would eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, and Republicans contend the cuts would decrease services for the aged.
The healthcare plan would cost $940 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. But Republicans disputed the numbers.
"The oldest trick in the book in Washington is you can manipulate a bill to manipulate the results," Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told the House. "This bill is a fiscal Frankenstein."
In a closed-door caucus for Democrats before the vote, Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and veteran of the civil rights movement who reportedly faced racial epithets from protesters outside the Capitol on Saturday, reminded his colleagues that they were acting on healthcare on the 45th anniversary of the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama. Lewis was beaten in an infamous confrontation with police during the first of those marches.
On the House floor later, Lewis emotionally implored his colleagues to "answer the call of history. . . . Give healthcare a chance."
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) quoted his father, the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, a career-long champion of healthcare reform.
"The parallel between the struggle for civil rights and the fight to make healthcare affordable for all Americans is significant," Kennedy said. "Healthcare is not only a civil right. It's a moral issue."
Democrats and Obama plan to devote the next few months to making sure consumers understand its benefits of the bill. One of the most important documents in their arsenal is a list prepared by their leadership of the provisions of the bill that kick in almost immediately, including the guarantee that children will not be denied coverage for preexisting conditions and the provision allowing young adults to remain on their parents' policies.
But some Democrats are still anxious that voters will now blame the president and the Democrats for everything that goes wrong -- from long lines at the pharmacy to delays in processing insurance claims -- whether they are attributable to the healthcare bill or not.
noam.levey@latimes.com
janet.hook@latimes.com
michael.muskal@latimes.com
mdsilva@tribune.com
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times
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