| Updated: 3/22/2010 9:20 am |
Published: 3/21/2010 8:49 pm |
WASHINGTON (AP) - 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, with Republicans unanimous in opposition.
Congressional officials said they expected Obama to sign the bill as early as Tuesday.
A second measure - making changes in the first - was lined up for passage later in the evening. That measure would go to the Senate, where Democratic leaders said they had the votes to pass it.
Crowds of protesters outside the Capitol shouted "just vote no" in a futile attempt to stop the historic vote taking place inside a House packed with lawmakers and ringed with spectators in the galleries above.
Across hours of debate, House Democrats predicted the central bill, 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 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.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Berry releases statement before health care vote
"I appreciate and am humbled by the thousands of Arkansans who have called, written, e-mailed, and met with me over the last year to express their concerns about health care in this country. While there seems to me a broad agreement that our current health care system is unsustainable in cost and coverage, I cannot endorse this bill as it is currently written.”
“Throughout this debate, I have stood by my conviction that the Senate health care reform bill does not adequately address the issue of federal funds being used to pay for abortions. Despite the recently announced Executive Order addressing this issue, I remain concerned that this legislation does not go far enough to satisfy my concerns. As a pro-life Member of Congress, I believe that abortion is fundamentally wrong, and taxpayer money should not be allowed to support it.”
“Beyond the issue of abortion, there were several concerns in the bill that I fought for and feel were not addressed properly. There are common sense ideas that would lower costs throughout the system, such as having the government use its bargaining power to negotiate prescription drug prices. Some of my other ideas would increase quality and fairness in our health care provider network by increasing Medicare reimbursement rates for rural providers, who currently are compensated far less than their counterparts in urban areas. This unfair system is forcing our doctors to stop caring for Medicare patients or to leave rural areas completely.”
“I believe in health care reform, I just want it done right. I believe true reform would reduce the deficit and pay for itself from savings from our current system, not from putting more pressure on our hospitals and other providers. As I have said before, if you are willing to say what you are against, you need to be able to say what you are for too. That’s why I introduced my own health care reform bill, H.R. 4813.”
“Although I will vote against this bill, I do hope this is the start of a new path in reforming what many agree is a broken system. It is our duty in Congress to try to work together and keep citizens informed on this issue and other legislation, so that our actions in Washington may successfully reflect the will of the people. My decision is dictated by my conscience and my solemn obligation to follow the voices of my constituents in the First Congressional District of Arkansas, who have honored me with the opportunity to serve them for 14 years.”
Before the vote, Ross released the following statement:
“This will be one of the most difficult votes I have ever cast in the House of Representatives because I believe we need health care reform. That’s why I have worked since last summer trying to improve this bill. While we were successful in making some changes, others were not accepted.
“This issue has divided our country in a way that I have not seen in my many years. There are those who have distorted the facts on both sides and special interests have spent millions of dollars trying to scare the American people. I believe my job as your representative is to present the facts, listen to you and serve as your voice in our nation’s capital. You deserve to always know where I stand on the issues and why. Above all, you should always hear the truth from me.
“There are parts of this bill that are good, including much-needed health insurance reforms and making health insurance affordable for the uninsured. On the other hand, many parts of this bill cause me great concern, like telling people they must buy health insurance or be fined, cutting Medicare by more than a half-trillion dollars, increasing taxes and forcing businesses to provide health insurance to their employees. I am also concerned how these new mandates will impact our small businesses as we recover from this economic recession and they attempt to put people back to work.
