The House of Representatives passed a long-debated landmark health care reform bill that would extend coverage to millions of Americans in a 219-212 vote Sunday night after months of fierce partisan disputes.
The bill will be signed into law in the coming days by President Barack Obama, who has made health care reform a central mission of his presidency.
“We proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things,” the president said in remarks following the passage of the bill. “We proved that this government, a government of the people and by the people, still works for the people.”
The health care bill would extend coverage by adding 16 million citizens to Medicaid, subsidizing private coverage for low- and middle-income Americans and requiring most Americans to have health insurance.
According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, the bill would provide coverage to 32 million who are currently uninsured, but would leave 23 million still without coverage.
The vote highlighted partisan divides within Congress as all 178 Republican representatives voted against the bill, along with 34 Democrats.
Democrats said the expansion of health coverage for uninsured Americans was a necessary and long-overdue social reform, while Republicans denounced the bill for its $938 billion price tag.
“We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us,” said Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina called the bill “the Civil Rights Act of the twenty-first century.”
Meanwhile, House Republican Leader John Boehner condemned those supporting the bill, saying, “Shame on each and every one of you who substitutes your will and your desires above those of your fellow countrymen.”
However, Obama said that despite the controversy surrounding the bill, he was confident the decision made was the right one.
“Tonight’s vote is not a victory for any one party,” the president said. “I know this wasn’t an easy vote for a lot of people, but it was the right vote.”
In response to hours of debate over the bill’s position on funding for abortions, a statement from the White House announced that Obama will issue an executive order restricting the use of federal funds for this purpose.
This decision came after several anti-abortion Democrats lobbied for this provision and threatened to vote against the bill if no compromise could be reached. The White House’s announcement helped to clear the way for the legislation to be passed by securing these Democrats’ votes.
Also attached to the final version of the health care bill was an overhaul of the student loan industry that would eliminate a program supporting private student loans with federal subsidies in favor of a system of direct government lending to students.
This change would lead to $61 billion in savings over the next decade, contributing to a $36 billion increase in funding for Pell grants. However, these amendments will have to pass the Senate before going into effect.
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