Healthcare reform bill passes U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 220-215
Earlier tonight, by a vote of 220-215, the House passed H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, the first significant health care reform in decades.
Representative Ahn "Joseph" Cao of Louisiana was the only Republican to vote in favor of the legislation. An astounding thirty nine Democrats joined all of the rest of the Republican caucus in voting "nay".
Within the Washington delegation, the aye votes were Jay Inslee, Rick Larsen, Norm Dicks, Jim McDermott, and Adam Smith. They represent the Evergeen State's 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, and 9th Districts, respectively.
As expected, based on his statement from yesterday, Brian Baird shamefully voted with the Republicans in the delegation(Dave Reichert, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Doc Hastings) to retain the status quo and keep affordable, quality health care out of the reach of so many of our fellow Americans.
Baird could have taken the principled approach of Adam Smith, who took the trouble to explain his yes vote, despite having misgivings about the bill:
Many in the Pacific Northwest's delegation who voted yes to pass the bill have released statements. Here's Jay Inslee, of Washington's 1st District:
Representative Ahn "Joseph" Cao of Louisiana was the only Republican to vote in favor of the legislation. An astounding thirty nine Democrats joined all of the rest of the Republican caucus in voting "nay".
Within the Washington delegation, the aye votes were Jay Inslee, Rick Larsen, Norm Dicks, Jim McDermott, and Adam Smith. They represent the Evergeen State's 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, and 9th Districts, respectively.
As expected, based on his statement from yesterday, Brian Baird shamefully voted with the Republicans in the delegation(Dave Reichert, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Doc Hastings) to retain the status quo and keep affordable, quality health care out of the reach of so many of our fellow Americans.
Baird could have taken the principled approach of Adam Smith, who took the trouble to explain his yes vote, despite having misgivings about the bill:
My vote, in effect, is to move the process forward. This is not the final phase in the process and in the weeks ahead the Senate will vote on its version of the bill and then the House and the Senate must reconcile their differences. I am hopeful that through this process my remaining concerns will be addressed and we can finally move to provide universal access to health care and reform our system in a way that protects individuals and reins in out of control costs. More than anything, my ‘yes’ vote today reflects the fact that, despite my concerns with the current bill, I cannot vote in favor of the status quo.Instead, Congressman Brian Baird chose to become one of the instantly infamous Thirty Nine (including Walt Minnick of Idaho) who turned their backs on their constituents and did the bidding of insurance companies.
Many in the Pacific Northwest's delegation who voted yes to pass the bill have released statements. Here's Jay Inslee, of Washington's 1st District:
When considering this issue, I thought of all the benefits my parents provided to me and what I’m going to leave for my grandchildren.David Wu, of Oregon's 1st District:
They deserve, as all our children and grandchildren do, affordable health care so they can live their lives to the fullest. I am proud of the work we have done on behalf of all Americans who will see their health care costs go down and their health security go up.
This is a historic day. This legislation will stand beside Social Security, the GI Bill, and Medicare as a pillar of American health care and humane values.Earl Blumenauer, of Oregon's 3rd District:
The vast majority of Americans already have health insurance. I voted for this bill because, in addition to covering millions more Americans, it will increase security and stability for those who already have health insurance.
Tonight I voted for every Oregonian who has faced bankruptcy when they've lost their care or has been denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Tonight, I voted to protect every Oregonian who has health insurance but sees their costs rising every year.Kurt Schrader, of Oregon's 5th District:
Passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act marks the most important single step in 100 years in addressing the health care needs of American families. For the first time, the U.S. government has dealt comprehensively with the entire health care system.
I am proud to have cast a historic vote today to overhaul America’s failing healthcare system to improve the healthcare of all Americans. This bill prohibits exclusions based on preexisting conditions and ensures American families will no longer be one illness or job loss away from bankruptcy.We'll post excerpts from more statements from the Pacific Northwest congressional delegation as they become available.
It also protects America’s senior citizens by fixing the donut hole sooner and allowing more drug price-negotiation to ensure seniors are getting the best prices for their medication. For the first time in our nation’s history, we say that every American deserves access to affordable quality healthcare.
# Posted by Ken Camp : 8:56 PM
Comments:
Thus affirming my status as a second class citizen. In all the hoopla, nobody seems to have noticed that age discrimination has been written into law, along with a mandate to buy private insurance at whatever price they feel like selling it to you for. Giving private insurance $900 billion insted of just expanding Medicare eligibility is forcing us to prop us one of the most useless sectors of the economy.
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