House passes health care bill

A House Republican joined 219 Democrats to vote for the landmark health care reform bill last night in the House of Representatives, enabling the bill to pass 220 votes to 215. Rep. John Dingell (D-Michigan), who has"> introduced national health insurance in every Congress since taking office 1955, said, "It provides coverage for 96 percent of Americans. It offers everyone, regardless of health or income, the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will have access to affordable health care when they need it."

Dingell also pointed out the $1.2 trillion legislation "provides coverage for 96% of Americans. It offers everyone, regardless of health or income, the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will have access to affordable health care when they need it." On the other side, his colleague from Michigan, Republican Rep. Candice Miller said, "We are going to have a complete government takeover of our health care system faster than you can say, 'this is making me sick."' Here are some highlights of the bill (PDF), via the AP:

The legislation would require most Americans to carry insurance and provide federal subsidies to those who otherwise could not afford it. Large companies would have to offer coverage to their employees. Both consumers and companies would be slapped with penalties if they defied the government's mandates.

Insurance industry practices such as denying coverage because of pre-existing medical conditions would be banned, and insurers would no longer be able to charge higher premiums on the basis of gender or medical history. The industry would also lose its exemption from federal antitrust restrictions on price fixing and market allocation.

At its core, the measure would create a federally regulated marketplace where consumers could shop for coverage. In the bill's most controversial provision, the government would sell insurance, although the Congressional Budget Office forecasts that premiums for it would be more expensive than for policies sold by private companies.

Another part of the bill included an amendment that bans the use of federal funds to finance abortions; the NY Times has details how it was at the center of much wrangling.

The vote occurred before midnight last night, after day that saw President Obama visiting the Capitol to make his case for health care reform to lawmakers. According to the Washington Post, "After months of acrimonious partisanship, Democrats closed ranks on a 220-215 vote that included 39 defections, mostly from the party's conservative ranks. But the bill attracted a surprise Republican convert: Rep. Anh 'Joseph' Cao of Louisiana, who represents the Democratic-leaning district of New Orleans and had been the target of a last-minute White House lobbying campaign. GOP House leaders had predicted their members would unanimously oppose the bill."

Here's a map of the vote and you can see which House Democrats voted against the here: In NY, there were three Democrat votes against—Michael McMahon, who reps Staten Island, voted against the bill, as did Eric Massa (29th district upstate) and Scott Murphy (20th district, around Albany).

Now the Senate must vote on the bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he would take it up as soon as possible. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tennessee) had some criticism of the bill, but eventually voted for it, noting, "This bill will get better in the Senate. If we kill it here, it won’t have a chance to get better."