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Go Home BREAKING: House Passes Senate Bill; Reform to Become Law

THE TREATMENT MARCH 21, 2010

BREAKING: House Passes Senate Bill; Reform to Become Law

BY JONATHAN COHN

Health care for all is about to become law of the land.

On Sunday evening, the House of Representatives voted for the Senate's health care bill--a bill that would make affordable insurance available to nearly everybody, strengthen coverage for those who have it, and nudge American medicine in the direction of higher quality and lower costs. The final tally was 219 to 212, with the vast majority of Democrats voting for it and every single Republican opposing it. Now the bill goes to the White House for President Obama's signature, which will most likely happen on Tuesday.

Democrats nailed down the final votes they needed on Sunday afternoon, once a group of members opposed to abortion rights, led by Michigan’s Bart Stupak, indicated they would support the bill in exchange for an agreement to apply existing abortion funding restrictions to the new insurance exchanges. As of this writing, the House was still debating a set of amendments to the Senate bill. Those amendments, which would change both the subsidy and tax levels in the bill, are expected to pass. After that, they must still go to the Senate for consideration there.

The Democrats' victory represents the culmination of a quest that stretches back to the early 20th Century, when medicine first entered the modern era and became more expensive than many Americans could afford. It also represents a remarkable victory for the Democrats, who seemed on the verge of losing this fight just a few weeks ago, when the special Senate election in Massachusetts deprived them of the power to break a filibuster.

More to come soon. Or maybe tomorrow...

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10 comments

Alright, conservatives, I'm holding you to your word. There are flights leaving for Costa Rica in the morning. Should I expect you to be on board?

- zardoz67

March 22, 2010 at 12:26am

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Thank you for your outstanding contribution to this great victory for the American people.

- serlin

March 22, 2010 at 12:50am

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Ditto serlin. This blog was invaluable.

- ratnerstar

March 22, 2010 at 12:53am

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Jonathon - You have much to be proud of in your coverage of this entire process. I have found you to be the most valuable source on the state of the health care debate, particularly the policy side. You and Jon Chait and Ezra Klein put all the mainstream media village idiots to shame. Thank you!

- RobertW

March 22, 2010 at 1:23am

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Hey serlin, didn't know you were a Michigan man. Hail to the Victors!

- roidubouloi

March 22, 2010 at 9:25am

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Thanks Jonathan! If victory has a thousand fathers and mothers, you're still close to the top of the heap.

- Geoff G

March 22, 2010 at 9:42am

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Another word of deep thanks for the work of this blog. (Of course, there's more to cover.)

- frippo

March 22, 2010 at 11:50am

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yes Mr. Cohn, thanks for providing us with a forum, and thanks for keeping your head after Mass. I saw the Democrats panicking and I lost hope, but you didn't. so I was wrong and you were right, and I have never been so happy to be proven wrong. As to your blog in general, I haven't always agreed, but I have come to see the reason and necessity of some of the things you have advocated (like the mandate). This is but the first step and it is only a matter of time we will have the (no abortion on demand) Public option.

- blackton

March 22, 2010 at 11:52am

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Let me add to the comments above in expressing my appreciation for Jonathan Cohn's invaluable coverage of this amazing story. I stayed up to see the President speak after the House concluded its several votes last night -- what a hugely moving experience! Progress, truly worthwhile progress, after so much endless, tiresome, debate. So much disinformation; so little understanding. This blog has been an island of sanity throughout the process. Well done. Neil

- purcellneil

March 22, 2010 at 1:19pm

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Thank you -- for the very kind words and for the loyal readership over these many months. I wish only I'd had more time to respond to the comments you guys left. They were smart, informative, and (quite) frequently entertaining. I'll have a few more things to say before we wrap things up here at the Treatment. For now, I hope those of you who supported reform can enjoy and appreciate this moment. And for those of you didn't, I appreciate your willingness to be part of this dialogue -- and hope that your misgivings, however sincerely felt, turn out to have been wrong.

- Jonathan Cohn

March 22, 2010 at 3:44pm

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