The Senate approved sweeping health-overhaul legislation on Thursday, a landmark moment for White House-led efforts to expand insurance coverage to more than 30 million Americans.
The bill, approved by a 60-39 vote, would deliver on a long-promised Democratic goal of extending coverage to nearly every American, and would represent the biggest expansion of the federal safety net since the 1965 creation of Medicare, the health-insurance program for the elderly and disabled.
Sen. Ben Nelson says the Senate health care bill isn’t perfect, but he voted to advance the proposal to help control costs.
The Nebraska Democrat issued a statement early Monday defending his vote, saying that while “change is never easy” it is needed in this case because so many are struggling to pay for health care. Nelson’s support was crucial — he provided the 60th vote Democrats needed to choke off a GOP filibuster. But he’s facing criticism from Republicans in his home state because of his support of the bill.
Nelson says he’s glad the health care bill doesn’t include a government-run health care plan, and it does include language to restrict taxpayer funding of abortions. Abortion foes say the bill’s language isn’t strong enough.
Democratic senators say they have a tentative deal to drop a government-run insurance option from health care legislation. No further details were immediately available.
But liberals and moderates have been discussing an alternative, including a private insurance arrangement to be supervised by the federal agency that oversees the system through which lawmakers purchase coverage. Additionally, talks centered on opening up Medicare to uninsured Americans beginning at age 55, a significant expansion of the large government health care program that currently serves the over-65 population.
Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa told reporters he didn’t like the agreement but would support it to the hilt in an attempt to pass health care legislation.
After months of maneuvering, the Senate stands at the brink of a historic battle over health care with President Barack Obama and his allies on one side and Republicans, outnumbered but unflinching, on the other.
“Now it’s America’s turn, and this will not be a short debate,” Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, warned after Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled long-awaited legislation Wednesday night to extend coverage to 30 million more Americans and force insurance companies to take all comers.
The Democratic-controlled House has narrowly passed landmark health care reform legislation, handing President Barack Obama a hard won victory on his signature domestic priority.
Republicans were nearly unanimous in opposing the plan that would expand coverage to tens of millions of Americans who lack it and place tough new restrictions on the insurance industry.
The 220-215 vote late Saturday cleared the way for the Senate to begin a long-delayed debate on the issue that has come to overshadow all others in Congress.
A triumphant Speaker Nancy Pelosi compared the legislation to the passage of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare 30 years later.
According to the U.S. Capitol Police, officers arrested nine protesters in Sen. Joe Lieberman’s office just after 10 a.m. today inside the Hart Senate Office Building.
“The demonstrators insisted on disrupting office operations after they rejected repeated offers for meetings with both the senator’s chief of staff and legislative director to discuss their concerns,” Marshall Wittmann, a Lieberman spokesman, said in a statement. “After rejecting these meeting offers, refusing to heed warnings from the Capitol Hill police and continuing the disruption, some of the demonstrators were removed by the police.”
In a statement, Capitol Police said the nine were arrested without incident and there have been no other arrests today.
