House Healthcare Reform Vote Results

The House healthcare reform bill that was HR 3200 (the tri-committee bill) became HR 3962 (Pelosi's bill) and was passed on Saturday night after the adoption of the Stupak amendment. The pro-life amendment offered by Rep. Stupak received a 240 to 194 vote with a handful of members voting present.

The partisan breakdown on the Stupak amendment: 176 Republicans and 64 Democrats supported the pro-life Stupak amendment while 194 Democrats voted against it.

Two great progressive House leaders voted against the bad, pro-life Pelosi-Stupak bill after the Stupak amendment passed, Representatives Eric Massa and Dennis Kucinich.

The Stupak amendment vote was roll call 884 and final passage was roll call 887. You can see how your representative voted by search for these roll calls on this Clerk of the House index

Here is Dennis Kucinich's statement on his vote against passage of the prolife Pelosi-Stupak bill:

We have been led to believe that we must make our health care choices only within the current structure of a predatory, for-profit insurance system which makes money not providing health care. We cannot fault the insurance companies for being what they are. But we can fault legislation in which the government incentivizes the perpetuation, indeed the strengthening, of the for-profit health insurance industry, the very source of the problem. When health insurance companies deny care or raise premiums, co-pays and deductibles they are simply trying to make a profit. That is our system.

Clearly, the insurance companies are the problem, not the solution. They are driving up the cost of health care. Because their massive bureaucracy avoids paying bills so effectively, they force hospitals and doctors to hire their own bureaucracy to fight the insurance companies to avoid getting stuck with an unfair share of the bills. The result is that since 1970, the number of physicians has increased by less than 200% while the number of administrators has increased by 3000%. It is no wonder that 31 cents of every health care dollar goes to administrative costs, not toward providing care. Even those with insurance are at risk. The single biggest cause of bankruptcies in the U.S. is health insurance policies that do not cover you when you get sick.

But instead of working toward the elimination of for-profit insurance, H.R. 3962 would put the government in the role of accelerating the privatization of health care. In H.R. 3962, the government is requiring at least 21 million Americans to buy private health insurance from the very industry that causes costs to be so high, which will result in at least $70 billion in new annual revenue, much of which is coming from taxpayers. This inevitably will lead to even more costs, more subsidies, and higher profits for insurance companies — a bailout under a blue cross.

By incurring only a new requirement to cover pre-existing conditions, a weakened public option, and a few other important but limited concessions, the health insurance companies are getting quite a deal. The Center for American Progress’ blog, Think Progress, states “since the President signaled that he is backing away from the public option, health insurance stocks have been on the rise.” Similarly, healthcare stocks rallied when Senator Max Baucus introduced a bill without a public option. Bloomberg reports that Curtis Lane, a prominent health industry investor, predicted a few weeks ago that “money will start flowing in again” to health insurance stocks after passage of the legislation. Investors.com last month reported that pharmacy benefit managers share prices are hitting all-time highs, with the only industry worry that the Administration would reverse its decision not to negotiate Medicare Part D drug prices, leaving in place a Bush Administration policy.

During the debate, when the interests of insurance companies would have been effectively challenged, that challenge was turned back. The “robust public option” which would have offered a modicum of competition to a monopolistic industry was whittled down from an initial potential enrollment of 129 million Americans to 6 million. An amendment which would have protected the rights of states to pursue single-payer health care was stripped from the bill at the request of the Administration. Looking ahead, we cringe at the prospect of even greater favors for insurance companies.

Recent rises in unemployment indicate a widening separation between the finance economy and the real economy. The finance economy considers the health of Wall Street, rising corporate profits, and banks’ hoarding of cash, much of it from taxpayers, as sign of an economic recovery. However in the real economy -- in which most Americans live -- the recession is not over. Rising unemployment, business failures, bankruptcies and foreclosures are still hammering Main Street.

This health care bill continues the redistribution of wealth to Wall Street at the expense of America’s manufacturing and service economies which suffer from costs other countries do not have to bear, especially the cost of health care. America continues to stand out among all industrialized nations for its privatized health care system. As a result, we are less competitive in steel, automotive, aerospace and shipping while other countries subsidize their exports in these areas through socializing the cost of health care.

Notwithstanding the fate of H.R. 3962, America will someday come to recognize the broad social and economic benefits of a not-for-profit, single-payer health care system, which is good for the American people and good for America’s businesses, with of course the notable exceptions being insurance and pharmaceuticals.

Unless the Kucinich amendment that was stripped out of HR 3200 as passed by the Committee on Education and Labor is reinserted into the bill in conference committee, Rep. Kucinich and Rep. Eric Massa should continue to vote against the bad Pelosi-Stupak bill, and the rest of the Democratic Caucus, or at least what remains of the Progressive Caucus, should join them.

Pelosi press release on Weiner Amendment (withdrawn)

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on Representative Anthony Weiner's single payer substitute amendment:

Within the next few days, the House will vote on the most comprehensive health care legislation in our history. Our bill will provide affordability to the middle class, security to our seniors, and responsibility to our children by not adding a dime to the deficit. While our bill contains unprecedented reforms, including an end to discrimination for pre-existing conditions and a prohibition on raising rates or dropping coverage if you become ill, our bill cannot include provisions some strongly advocated. The single payer alternative is one of those provisions that could not be included in H.R. 3962, but which has generated support within the Congress and throughout the country.

Congressman Anthony Weiner has been a forceful and articulate advocate for the single payer approach and our legislation. His decision not to offer a single payer amendment during consideration of H.R. 3962 is a correct one, and helps advance the passage of important health reforms by this Congress. While single payer, like other popular proposals, is not included in the consensus bill we will vote on this week, Congressman Weiner has been a tireless and effective advocate for progress on health care, and his work has been a vital part of achieving health care reform.

Released by the Speaker of the House on 11/06/2009

Weiner amendment info from SICKO stars...

There is a 2:00 PM hearing in the U.S. House Committee on Rules tomorrow which will approve any amendments to be offered and constraints on this important debate.

Please call your member of congress now in support of the Weiner Amendment, and join the facebook group Pass the Weiner Amendment for Healthcare for All!

The House switchboard number is: (202) 224-3121

Weiner amendment vote coming to US House floor soon! Health care for all!

I have been told to expect HR 3200 after Columbus day. The vote on the Weiner amendment will follow soon after the HR 3200 healthcare reform bill is merged out of the three committee reports.

In order facilitate nationwide support for the Weiner amendment, I have created a facebook group - if you are on facebook and you want more Americans to have direct access to health care please click and join it here: Pass the Weiner Amendment for Healthcare for All!

Call your Member of Congress, urge them to vote NO! on HR 2346

No more funding for these wars!

Obama, keep your promises for peace!

Help Obama keep his promises for peace. Support CODEPINK in their campaign, attend, or help someone else attend the Mother's Day vigil at the White House. Watch the Rethink Afghanistan documentary and then post a comment or make a phone call to The White House comment line.

"Prosecute, Prosecute" Eddie Joe and the Redeemers

Repost this! Then call Barack Obama and tell him we need an Independent Prosecutor to examine the crimes that lead up to the war on Iraq, and the crimes committed in the conduct of the Iraq War and occupation!

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