HOUSE PASSES HEALTH CARE BILL

Attention moves to the Senate: A tough road ahead

A little after 11:00 pm on Saturday, November 7, and by a 220-215 vote, the U.S. House has passed a historic health care reform bill that will improve the nation’s health care system, covering millions of uninsured and making insurance work better for those who have it.

H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, fulfills the decades-long promise to create a system that provides affordable, high-quality health care coverage to nearly everyone. It will break the stranglehold of insurance company greed and cut costs for both families and the country. It will make a real difference for families across the country.

The bill is fairly funded, relying on employer responsibility and a surtax on the highest earners—not a tax on middle-class workers’ health benefits. And it offers the choice of a public health insurance option that can compete with private insurers.

Across the country, a broad coalition of community groups, including the union movement, fought hard and reached out to House members to ask them to pass this critical bill. Thousands of your letters and phone calls helped make the difference.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says this bill is a big victory for working families. He added, "We heard a lot of rhetoric today, but in the end it boils down to this: It is time to say “yes” to a more secure future for Americans—and that is how the majority in the House of Representatives answered. It is time to say “yes” to lowering health costs, breaking the stranglehold of the insurance companies and extending health care to those in our rich country who are sick and need it. Shame on those who stood for the failed status quo by voting no.”

We applaud Speaker Pelosi, the other members of the leadership and the majority in the House of Representatives for bringing us closer than ever to our long-held goal.

The U.S. Senate will consider a health care reform bill over the coming weeks, and then the House and Senate will combine the bills in conference. There’s still a long way to go, but today is a great day for the country and a big step toward a health care system that works for everyone.