I expect the healthcare bill to pass in Senate after some alterations.After all I,as a physician,should know what's in the best interest of the patient in need.
Speaking in the Rose Garden exactly 24 hours after he appeared there Saturday to call for House passage of the bill, Mr. Obama praised House members for what he called a ‘’courageous vote” that “brought us closer than we have ever been” to extending coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. He said the bill fulfilled his promise to bring sweeping change to the lives of millions of Americans.
“Moments like this are why they sent us here,” the president said in his brief appearance. He also praised Iraq’s parliament for approving passing a much-delayed election law, calling the two votes “milestones that represent encouraging progress for our country.”
After an extended clash with Republicans over what has been a Democratic goal for decades, lawmakers voted late Saturday by 220 to 215 to approve a plan that would cost $1.1 trillion over 10 years. Democrats said the legislation would provide relief to Americans struggling to buy or hold on to health insurance, while bringing spiraling health care costs under control.
But Mr. Obama said the bill would ensure health-care coverage for most Americans, without increasing the federal deficit.
He said that he had telephoned a cancer survivor, one Katy Gibson of Montana, whose insurance had been canceled because of her illness, to tell her that with the vote Saturday, “We’ll be able to protect Americans just like her.”
The bill is the biggest health care legislation since the creation of Medicare for the elderly four decades ago.
Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, said he would bring a bill to the Senate floor for debate as soon as possible. The two chambers will still need to negotiate and approve a final bill.
As the debate moves to the Senate — with Democrats still hoping for final passage before year’s end, while acknowledging they face a tight schedule to achieve that — it was clear that the battle to fundamentally revamp the health-care system was far from over. |
