Explaining the current health care bill status
Ok, so everyone is talking about it. Democrats are rallying in the streets and Republicans are crying bloody murder. You know that a health care bill got passed (you think), but you really don’t know what’s going on. You need to know this, so here are the basics updated one more time:
The health care bill was originally passed in the Senate but didn’t pass through the House of Representatives because 34 Democrats were worried about some portions of the bill such as public funding of abortion and other items that caused them to vote against it. After weeks of negotiating and personal meetings with President Obama, a new health care reform bill was proposed to the House with some of the “controversial” items removed. This time around, the House approved the bill, 219-212, with only 1 Democrat voting against it (Dan Lipinski from Illinois).
So why is the Democratic party celebrating if the Senate hasn’t voted on it yet? Remember, the Senate already voted FOR an even stricter bill the first time around, so it is assumed that the Senate will easily vote for this overhauled bill, followed by Obama signing it into law.
The bill itself? There are a slew of items in it, but among the most talked about are the obvious: additional insurance coverage to the millions of previously uninsured Americans, yet another tax to wealthier Americans, and the option for people to stay with their parents’ coverage up to the age of 26 if they qualify.
The lack of public funding for elective abortions is what garnered much of the 33 additional votes in the House this time around. Democrats who fought for the removal of that issue from the original bill cited the Hyde Amendment, which states that any attempt at passing the above measure is unlawful.
The health care bill is much more complicated and requires a thorough read, but at least now you are ready to discuss the basics and be involved in today’s conversation.
Read on:
DailyHerald.com – Congress approves historic health care legislation
Suite101.com -The Healthcare Reform Bill (a nice summary of the bill)
NPR.org – Health Care Passage Hinged On Abortion Language
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Comments
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