Washington – Democrats won a major victory in their push for health care reform early Monday morning as the Senate voted to end debate on a package of controversial revisions to a sweeping $871 billion bill.
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The 60 to 40 party-line vote, cast shortly after 1 a.m., kept Senate Democrats on track to pass the bill on Christmas Eve. If it passes, the measure will then have to be merged with a roughly $1 trillion plan passed by House of Representatives in November. The Senate went into recess until noon Monday shortly after the vote.
The vote left President Obama on the cusp of claiming victory on his top domestic priority and enacting the biggest expansion of federal health care guarantees since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid over four decades ago.
“Today, the Senate took another historic step toward our goal of delivering access to quality, affordable health care to all Americans,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said in a statement.
The bill will help “promote choice and competition to drive down skyrocketing health care costs for families … all across America.”
The vote was the first of three this week requiring Democrats to win the backing of 60 members — enough to break a GOP filibuster. Final passage of the measure, in the contrast, will require a bare majority in the 100-member chamber.
Many political observers believe Monday’s outcome indicates a likely Democratic win on the remaining procedural hurdles and the final vote.
“The die is cast. It’s done,” New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer proclaimed after the vote.
Republicans ripped the majority for passing the measure in the middle of the night and accused Democrats of ramming the bill through despite growing public opposition.
“Make no mistake: If the people who wrote this bill were proud of it, they wouldn’t be forcing this vote in the dead of night,” argued Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky.
“Mark my words: this legislation will reshape our nation. And Americans have already issued their verdict. They don’t want it. They don’t like this bill, and they don’t like lawmakers playing games with their health care to secure the votes they need to pass it.”
I for one think it will do great it is certainly better than having no ins and I think we should spend some money at home as well
Can someone please explain what will happen once this bill passes and what changes will we see take place. Will this affect ALL Americans of all classes?
What’s in this bill?
If its going to lower health care without going to a public option then I think it sounds good. The fact that the United States might go bankrupt, what do I know.
I just don’t understand what all the excitement is about this bill. We are witnessing the most corupt Congress at work where Senators are bribed in order to get their vote and us suckers will pay for it. I think that New Yorkers need to ask Schumer and Guillebrabrand who voted for this monstrocity, what will New Yorkers get and the answer is nothing. These fools gave away the store for nothing. I would also challenge all these so-called elected officials and test them to see whether they even read this piece of legislation before voting on it or they just went along with what Reid and Hussein told them to vote for. Shame on New yorkers that this is the best you can get to represent you. You deserve the government you voted for.
Call your senator IMMEDIATELY and tell them that if they vote for this Illegal Alien Cuban Style Universal Healthcare Bill, you will vote them out of office and elect someone who will investigate them for embezzelment and all the other crimes the U.S. Congress are committing. Everyone MUST call! (Unless you have no problem with higher taxes and sub-par government salaried doctors. Think of any government official’s efficiency and then think of them preforming surgery on YOU!)
Finally, after eight years of spending trillions of dollars enriching our enemies in the Middle East, the Congress has acted to benefit actual Americans. Enough with building hospitals and providing healthcare for Iraqi’s and Afghani’s who pay no US taxes, at the expense of many uninsured Americans. Enough with “liberating” a people who largely hate us and time to liberate those who need liberating: actual hard-working Americans who can’t afford basic healthcare because of its exorbitant costs.
Remember this date 12/21/09 it will go down as one of the darkest days in American history.
schumer….you looser….i will vote against you and the hilldenbrand or whoever she is ona count of your lack of quality.
I just spoke with a teacher (non-Jew) who is very upset about this bill. She knows that she will have to pay much more into her hc plan, or her school may decide to pay the penalty and she will be stuck with no insurance or pay $15,000/yr which she cannot afford. This bill is going to destroy this country.
just wait till one of you need a hip replacement a hearing aid or god forbid medical care for cancer oh and don’t forget if you want treatment to have children. those in need of a hip replacement will get some pain med and told to wait a few years or told sorry we can;t do it you are to old. those in need of a hearing aid will have to pay a high tax for it. those in need of chemo they will say it is to expensive and the disease is to far gone you should not do anything. and finally those who want trreatment for children they will either say you are to old or why bother and then they will make you take certain test to make sure the child is healthy for if not they may make you abort for it is we who is paying the care and an unhealthy child is to expensive. so those who like the health care and want to see our parents grow to a ripe and old age i wish you lots of luck!!!!!!!!
I just can’t believe this!!!
The known fact that in America one can find the TOP specialist for anything under the sky is a thing of the PAST… We will no longer have Doctors practicing the most complicated procedures; it no longer pays for them to do it…
Gone are the good old days…
Who knows where one will have to travel in case of a top dr needed…
“Today, the Senate took another historic step toward our goal of delivering access to quality, affordable health care to all Americans,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said in a statement.” yeah right
We had all been davening for this bill to pass and hashem has heard our tefilot. Some many of our kehilla were having extreme difficulty getting insurance because of pre-existing conditions and other problems which this bill will fix so it is a real kiddush hashem. The republicans who opposed this bill will pay the price in the next election. And a special yeyasher kochacha for the ehrleche Senator Schumer who did so much to make this a reality.
can someone please explain what this bill includes and what will change if it actually goes through.
And one more question – is there a plan on getting the country out of debt?
Although, the bill in its current Senate format is not what I hoped for, however hopefully after reconciliation with the house it will be better, but don’t despair, this is just the beginning like Social Security and Medicare had numerous tweaks to make it better the same will happen, the bottom line is that after 70 some odd years, we finally started to take the steps in the right direction, and all off you who are mourning for the country, let me just give you some hope, we understand your pain they same pain manifested after SS and Medicare and Civil Rights legislation, but as with all tragedies time is the best medication, and if you don’t want to wait for the time grab a glass of Vodka and drink Ad- D’Lo-Yada