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Senate Passes New Part of Health Care Bill

Lindy Tolbert |
March 25, 2010 | 12:55 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

Senate passes changes to the health care bill.
(Creative Commons)

The Senate passed a reconciliation to the health care bill 56-43 early Thursday morning in a session that removed two provisions from the bill and sent it back to the House for a second vote.
 
Two smaller provisions were eliminated after it was discovered that both, regarding Pell grants for low-income students, were in opposition to congressional budget rules.

Before Obama can sign the bill, it must be sent back to the House of Representatives for a second vote, as the law requires that identical legislation be signed by the House and the Senate before it goes to the President.

As is, many Democrats voted for the bill because of promises of reconciliation after the bill passed.
 
"The health care bill was passed because very, very, very heavy-duty promises were made to members of the House that reconciliation would be passed to address many of their concerns," said Sen. Bernard Sanders, an independent of Vermont. "Pelosi would not have had the votes in the House unless there was a strong promise that reconciliation would be passed."
 
The reconciliation measure passed 220-211 in the House of Representatives.
 
After the victory in the House of Representatives, Obama guaranteed an executive order to clarify abortion language in the Senate bill.
 
Every Republican senator and three Democratic senators opposed the legislation.
 
This health care reform is anticipated to affect 32 million Americans not already insured by a private company.
 
The Congressional Budget Office estimated the total cost being close to $938 billion over the 10 years.

Beginning in 2014, the new bill will require legal residents and U.S. citizens to purchase a health insurance plan, whether privately sponsored or by federal subsidy, and it will allow children to stay on their parents' plan until they turn 26. It also minimizes an inconsistency in prescription drug coverage under Medicare.

For those who cannot afford coverage, the government will provide subsidies for people making up to 400 percent above the poverty level (approximately $88,200 for a family of four).

Most insurance is provided through employers, so many small businesses will receive tax benefits for providing health care to their employees.

While employers are not required to provide health care plans for employees, they will receive a penalty if their employees have to use federal subsidies as their form of health insurance.

The consuming controversy over health care reform in the past year has certainly left a mark in the memory of those involved.
 
"This has been a legislative fight that will be in the record books," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said before the final call to vote.
 
Obama defended the original 219-212 passage of the bill in the House of Representatives in a speech delivered from the White House's East Wing.
 
"We proved that this government, a government of the people and by the people, still works for the people," he said. "I know this wasn't an easy vote for a lot of people, but it was the right vote."
 
Obama has taken Republican threats to repeal the law rather nonchalantly.
 
"My attitude is, go for it [...] If they want to have that fight, we can have it. Because I don't believe the American people are going to put the insurance industry back in the driver's seat," Obama said.



 

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