4 months ago
WASHINGTON (USATODAY) - President Obama praised Senate leaders Tuesday who approved an $829 billion health care bill advancing his vision to reshape the insurance system further than any other such bill has in more than a generation.
Calling it a critical milestone, Obama said "we are now closer than ever before to passing health reform. Now's the time to dig in and work even harder to get this done."
The Senate Finance Committee, led by Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., voted 14-9 to approve the proposal, which would expand insurance coverage to 29 million uninsured Americans while reducing budget deficits by $81 billion over 10 years.
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Obama singled out Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, who broke with her own party to support the bill - a decision that could have wide implications as Democrats seek the 60 votes needed to clear the next hurdle: a vote by the full Senate.
Obama thanked Snowe for her "political courage and seriousness of purpose she's demonstrated throughout this process."
Earlier when Snowe said she would vote for the bill, she said "when history calls, history calls," adding that she may change her position depending on how the bill evolves. "I happen to think the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress."
All other Republicans on the committee voted against the bill, which is the product of months of bipartisan talks. All Democrats supported the legislation, including Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, who had not previously stated their support.
"Ours is a balanced package," Baucus said. "This is now the time to get this done."
Republicans, including Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, called the bill partisan, said it is heavy on new taxes and argued that it will not live up to a promise made by Obama that people who like the coverage they have can keep it. "This bill will allow you to do anything but keep your coverage," Hatch said.
Len Nichols, a health care economist with the New America Foundation, called the vote "historic," noting that President Clinton's health care legislation never cleared the committee process in 1994.
The committee vote clears the way for debate by the full House and Senate. Before that, the proposal must be merged with a health care bill crafted by Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Any Senate bill will have to be reconciled with legislation in the House, where Democratic leaders are working to meld bills from three committees.
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chairman of the Senate health committee, predicted that Obama will have a health bill to sign by Christmas. "The momentum is such now that it's unstoppable," he said.
As he reconciles the differences in the Senate bills, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will attempt to secure at least 60 votes for the merged bill to prevent a filibuster from blocking the measure on the Senate floor. One key difference in the bills: The finance legislation does not include a government-run insurance program. The health bill does, as does the House bill.
Other key differences:
?Health insurance mandates. Both Senate bills and the House bill require Americans to purchase health insurance, but fines for those who don't would kick in more quickly under the health panel's bill.
?Cost of premiums. Older people would pay more and younger Americans less under the finance bill compared with the other bills.
?Taxes. The Senate finance bill would impose a 40% excise tax on the portion of premiums above $8,000 for individuals and $21,000 for families. The Senate health committee bill does not address taxes, and the House bill does not include an excise tax. Instead, the House would impose a 1% income tax surcharge on families with incomes above $350,000 and individuals with incomes above $280,000.
The finance committee is the last of five in Congress to vote on health care legislation and its action could build momentum for Obama, said Mark Peterson, a public policy professor at the University of California-Los Angeles.
"It's an extraordinary signal," Peterson said. "I think that the dynamic to watch over the coming weeks is what the administration is able to do to now orchestrate the process."
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