Congress Approves Final Changes to Health Reform
Last night, the House of Representatives passed a final health insurance reform bill by a vote of 220 to 207, bringing a year-long legislative process to an end. The bill makes final improvements to the historic health reform President Obama signed into law on Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
The end came after a grueling night and day of roll-call votes as Republicans sought to derail the bill.
House Democrats approved the same package Thursday evening, 220 to 207, formally concluding the tortuous 14-month drive to move major healthcare legislation through Congress for the first time since Medicare's creation in 1965.
"Franklin Roosevelt identified four freedoms: freedom of religion, Provigil pharmacy freedom of speech, freedom from want, and freedom from fear," said Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), one of the architects of the healthcare overhaul.
"Today in many ways we are fulfilling that last of the great freedoms, the fear that you or your family could suffer a healthcare crisis."
As with Sunday's vote in the House, no Republican representatives voted for the bill. The bill now goes to the President to be signed into law.