President Barack Obama received the Christmas Eve present he was anticipating – a health insurance reform bill passed out of the Senate.
In a statement, the president said the $871 billion measure would provide health care to 30 million Americans who are currently uninsured, strengthen and save the life of Medicare, curb waste and inefficiency in the health care system, and help reduce the deficit by as much as $1.3 trillion in the coming decades.
Both the Senate and House versions of the bill hold insurance companies accountable on skyrocketing health care costs.
Also, if the bill is passed and signed into law, insurance companies could no longer deny coverage to individuals based on pre-existing health conditions.
“They will no longer be able to drop your coverage when you get sick,” President Obama said.
“No longer will you have to pay unlimited amounts out of your own pocket for the treatments you need. And you’ll be able to appeal unfair decisions by insurance companies to an independent party.”
With passage, the president said, “we are now finally poised to deliver on the promise of real, meaningful health insurance reform that will bring additional security and stability to the American people.”
The work that lies ahead is merging the House and Senate versions into one bill that would be approved by both houses that the president would sign into law. That work is expected to take place when Congress convenes after the New Year’s holiday.
“Our challenge, then, is to finish the job,” Obama said. “We need to do what we were sent here to do and improve the lives of the people we serve.”
All Democrats in the Senate, including U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, voted to pass the measure. All Senate Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri, voted against it.
Some Democrats feel the bill does not go far enough – and continue to push for some sort of public health insurance option to make the costs of insurance premiums more competitive.
In a joint statement released just before the Senate’s passage of the bill, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-chair Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) said, “If the bill requires people to buy health insurance, there must be a public option to bring down costs by providing lower-cost competition to private insurers and choice to consumers.”
Republicans who are opposed to portions of the bill vowed to continue the fight against it.
U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay held a telephone town hall with constituents shortly before the Christmas holiday. A representative of his office said participants were selected at random by computer.
Nearly all who spoke during the hour-long session were in favor of health insurance reform. Many asked about its potential effects on Medicare, small business and tax credits to help pay for mandatory health coverage.
Clay described to listeners how the House version of the bill would affect his 1st Congressional District.
Although specifics of the final measure are still to be hashed out, Clay said there are elements in both versions of health insurance reform to expect in the completed version.
“Both bills will first of all end insurance company discrimination,” Clay said.
“Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer ? or hike up rates or drop coverage for those who get sick. That is an improvement that is needed in the system.”