US House of Representatives passes universal health care bill

Sunday, November 8, 2009

The United States House of Representatives has passed The Affordable Health Care for America Act or HR 3962, a bill which would ensure that 95–96% of US citizens receive affordable health care.

HR 3962 was passed with 220 yeas and 215 nays. Democrats in the house needed at least 218 votes to pass the bill. 39 Democrats voted against the bill, which contained the Stupak amendment. This amendment curtailed women's abortion rights. One Republican, Representative Joseph Cao of Louisiana, voted for the bill.

The US Senate has drafted their own health care bill, S. 1679. It is not yet known when the Senate will vote on their version of the bill, but in the end both versions must be merged into one with both the House and Senate voting again.

The health care program associated with HR 3962 is estimated to cost over US$1 trillion over ten years, according to the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who states that it will result in "[...] not one dime added to the deficit."

US President Barack Obama says that he is "confident" that the Senate will be able to come to an agreement and pass a completed bill. Obama added that he hopes to sign a "comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year."

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H.R. 3962

Sources

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Some information contained in this article was obtained from television, radio, or live webcast sources. Reporter's notes and the broadcast source details are available at the collaboration page.

"With victory in House, health care reform moves to Senate" — CNN, November 8, 2009
Kim Geiger. "House votes for ban on abortion subsidies" — Los Angeles Times, November 8, 2009
Nancy Pelosi. "Health Legislation Founded on Key Principles for a Healthier America: Innovation, Competition and Prevention" — PR Newswire, November 7, 2009
Mike Soraghan and Jared Allen. "Healthcare bill clears House" — The Hill, November 7, 2009
David Espo - Associated press. "House passes health care bill" — Houston Chronicle, November 7, 2009

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This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.