After months of back and forth arguing, name calling, rumor spreading, political hell, the House Democrats have rolled out the new health care bill. The measure, which will probably be voted on sometime next week, will extend health care coverage to about 96% of American population (legal population that is). The part that I’m excited about is that it WILL include a government option to compete with private health insurance providers. Also, the bill will provide federal subsidies to families that are unable to afford health insurance without them. Large companies would be required to cover all workers, while individuals would also be required to get health insurance.
Now the focus will shift towards the Senate, where Senator Reid is putting up the final touches on his version of the bill. While the Senate bill will also contain a public option, it appears it will also have a clause that will let individual states drop out if they chose, something the House version lacks. This comes as a major boost to President Obama, for whom healthcare legislation has been the top domestic priority. Now if only he could get us out of Afghanistan..
As expected, criticism from the other side of the isle has been swift. However the Republicans have been opposed to the healthcare reform from the start. What remains to be seen is whether or not Democrats can get enough votes in the House to pass the measure, and enough votes in the Senate to avoid a filibuster. One thing for sure though, this fight is far from over.
