Health Care Reform Passes House

A transformative health care bill is headed to President Barack Obama for his signature.

On the cusp of succeeding where numerous past congresses and administrations have failed, jubilant House Democrats voted 219-212 late Sunday to send legislation to Obama that will extend coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans. The legislation’s also designed to reduce deficits and ban insurance company practices such as denying coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Obama’s young presidency received a much needed boost from passage of the legislation, which will touch the lives of nearly every American. Republicans opposed the bill, saying it’s too expensive and calling it a government takeover.

Rep. Bono Mack’s Reaction

Local representative Mary Bono Mack joined every other Republican in voting “no” on the bill.

She issued a statement late last night saying, “instead of actually improving health care for Americans, this bill puts layers of bureaucrats between patients and their doctors, and adds billions of dollars in new taxes, and over a trillion in new government spending.”

She adds, “I am outraged that the Democratic leadership is forcing this reckless legislation on the backs of the American people.”

Senate Reaction

Sen. John McCain says Democrats who championed the historic health care bill that passed the House haven’t heard the last of the issue, predicting reprisals at the polls and in the courts.

Interviewed Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” McCain repeated House Republican assertions that the transformative legislation amounts to a “government takeover” of health care.

The Arizona Republican declared that Republicans “will challenge it every place we can,” and called the measure, approved on a 219-212 vote, “terribly wrong for America.” He said he was repulsed by “all this euphoria going on” and argued that outside the Beltway, the American people are very angry. They don’t like it and we’re going to repeal this.”

Administration Reaction

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says she believes people who remain skeptical about the massive health care reform that has passed Congress will feel better as they learn more about it.

Interviewed the morning after Democrats pushed it through on a 219-212 vote, Sebelius suggested that public resistance to the legislation largely is the result of statements Republican opponents and insurance industry figures have made about it.

She told CBS’s “The Early Show” she thought “what’s been going on for the better part of the year is a lot of attempts to confuse and scare Americans.” Sebelius said people “will be happy” with the legislation once they learn more about how it changes the rules governing how insurance companies operate.