USA: Health bill passed by House of Representatives

US President Barack Obama said he was ‘absolutely confident’ the Senate would pass its own version, and that healthcare reforms would become law by the end of the year. 

Passed in a narrow 220-215 vote by the House, the bill aims to extend coverage to 36 million more Americans and provide affordable healthcare to 96%.

Mr Obama has made healthcare reform a central plank of his domestic agenda, BBC News Online reports. Correspondents say the legislation could lead to the biggest changes in American healthcare in decades.

Democratic Senators must now consider their own bill. They need 60 out of 100 votes to bring it to a final vote. There are only 58 Democrats and two independents in the Senate. Two Republicans have signalled they could approve a compromise health bill. If it is passed, lawmakers from both houses will try to reconcile the two versions before the programme can be signed into law by the president.

In the vote on 7 November, the bill was supported by 219 Democrats and one Republican - Joseph Cao from New Orleans. Opposed were 176 Republicans and 39 Democrats.

Mr Obama said:

‘Tonight, in an historic vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would finally make real the promise of quality, affordable healthcare for the American people. The United States Senate must follow suit and pass its version of the legislation. I am absolutely confident it will, and I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year.’

The bill will allow the government to sell insurance in competition with private companies and make insurers offer cover to those with pre-existing conditions. However, the government-run healthcare programme - the so-called ‘public option’ - was scaled back in the run-up to the vote.

The debate had sparked strong emotions on both sides, BBC News Online reports. Before the vote, Mr Obama had made a rare visit to Congress to try to persuade wavering members of his own Democratic Party to back the bill.

One key concession to get the bill through was to anti-abortion legislators. An amendment was passed that prohibits coverage for abortion in the government-run programme except for rape, incest or if the mother’s life is threatened. Private plans can still offer the cover.

Democrat Bart Stupak, who sponsored the amendment, said: ‘Let us stand together on principle - no public funding for abortions.’

Abortion rights supporters said the amendment was the biggest setback to their cause in decades.

Obama says health vote ‘historic’. BBC News Online, 8 November 2009

Q&A: US healthcare reform. BBC News Online, 20 November 2009