US Senate passes reform bill
Michigan's Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow - both democrats - voted in favor of the health care bill. But Republican House Representative Dave Camp, who represents the Traverse City area, didn't vote for the bill when it came through the U.S. House - and didn't support the Senate's version either.
After the vote on Christmas Eve morning, democrats say millions of americans will now get health care coverage. Among those applauding the vote - Carl Levin, who says the new legislation "will curb insurance-company abuses, begin to control costs, and reduce inefficiency and waste." Levin also says, "for tens of millions of working Americans with no insurance at all, or for those who have pre-existing conditions and are denied coverage, it would provide much-needed help."
Levin's fellow democrat, Debbie Stabenow, calls it a historic day for the nation, saying "We have passed legislation that will provide health insurance reforms that save lives, save money, and save jobs." Stabenow says the bill "provides over $430 billion in tax cuts for small businesses and individuals to help pay for health insurance. These tax cuts will reduce health care costs for small businesses and free up billions of dollars for large employers that can be reinvested in our economy to save 3.5 million jobs."
But republicans disagree. Michigan does not have any of them in the Senate - but over in the House - Dave Camp says "the American people don't want federal bureaucrats put in charge of their health care, but that is exactly what this bill does. The American people don't want their health care premiums to increase, but that is exactly what will happen under this bill."
Camp says "Given these facts, it isn't surprising that the vast majority of Americans don't support this bill. What is surprising is that Democrats in Washington... are choosing to ignore their constituents and instead ram this bill through." He says "this kind of legislating" - including a "backroom deal" to benefit the state of Nevada - "marks a sad day in american history." That deal allows the state of Nebraska to avoid paying its share of an expansion of Medicaid, by passing the cost on to the other 49 states to split the tab.
Next, the bill will move to a joint Senate and House conference committee where they'll try to reconcile the differences between the two versions. Then the Senate and House will vote on the complete legislation. Assuming there's agreement - the final bill will be sent to the President to be signed into law.
