Health Care Bill Passes Along Partisan Lines

By John Romano

WASHINGTON, D.C. (YBH) – Democrats alone passed Barack Obama’s signature health care reform bill tonight with a partisan line vote of 219-212.

The nearly $1 trillion bill will place Americans collective health care firmly in the hands of the government with many new taxes and strict regulations on health insurance companies.

The President isn’t expected to sign the bill until Tuesday. This is the largest bill ever passed on a strict partisan vote.

Op-Ed Piece

The New America

John Romano is the publisher and editor of Yes, But However!, a musician, a former political correspondent for BBC Radio London, and a serial web entrepreneur. Follow him on twitter: twitter.com/yesbuthowever or John Romano on Google+

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Post Published: 21 March 2010
Found in section: News and Analysis

ishte
Not a landslide, but at least the job is begun. I think it might have been better to work on this in segments instead of insisting on passing one giant complex bill. Maybe sometime soon I can actually get an ENT to treat my illness.
(might be first, but I have no need to be that cool)
Jacobi
You mean Communism Vladimir?
Marilyn Mayers
Sixty-three years late but better late than never. Maybe one of these days we'll get it right and get rid of
the health insurance companies altogether!

http://intensedebate.com/people/sandyjo53 sandyjo53
What do you think the whole bill was about! getting rid of the insurance companies!..so you wont have long to wait, and the gov will have total control,it will be great!
We might all be living in the streets with the cost of this, but damn it we will have health care.

wait&see
Come hell or November
Sofi
You put the Gov. in Charge of anything they screw it up!! It all my sound good now, but wait until they mess it up..they always do one way or another. I know not everyone has good health coverage, guess I'm lucky I do and once the gov. takes charge they are going to mess that up too!! My medical is the one good thing I have in life, they do make their mistakes, but their fast at fixing them too!! I never have never will trust the Gov. I must say for you all that have trust in them wow Kudo's to you all!!
notforsocialism
Oh great, now my visit to the doctor will be like my visit to the DMV!
jackie
Let me say first that I have a "democrat". The fact that this bill passed scares the sh*t out of me. I agree, our health care needs reform, definitely. But like this? I do NOT want the government in charge of my health. I do NOT want to be on waiting lists for years and years before getting treated (or dying before I do). I do NOT want the IRS to be looking into my life. Has anyone ever thought of the kind of control this gives the government over our lives? Has anyone thought of how we're going to pay for this?? Another TRILLION added to our ever growing debt! We are already borrowing .45 cents for every dollar that washington spends. Yes, our healthcare needed change but NOT like this!

mary
If you have insurance that will not change. 38 mllion uninsured will be insured under this bill. I think you are buying into the republican "government take over" BS. Do some fact checking and you will see that your percption of the bill is NOT what the reality is.

Daniel
Please explain how what the government is doing is NOT takeover?
ishte
I agree, Mary. From my perspective, it's pretty sad to have a decent job and have my insurance costs take a third or more of my income, and then have doctors want to refuse treatment for what is becoming debilitating (but treatable so that it's not) illness, or else charge random amounts of money for office visits up front because they are afraid the insurance won't pay for a 'preexisting' condition. It's beyond ridiculous that the very poor can get better treatment than someone who works for a living in this country because the costs are so out of control that paying for health insurance would put so many people in the very poor category once you take that much income out of their paychecks just so they can see doctors when they need to before they become too ill to work. I'm just saying. It's not a perfect solution, but they screwed it up in the 80's to the point that now this is about the only fix available.

Bobby J. Simmons
Of course it is a take over.
The Patriot
Welcome to socialism idiots. This is a socialist / totalitarian health care run by the most crooked people in the world the Government.
I love how people argue republican / democrat you make me sick. Be loyal to the Constitution that is what affords you the rights to live free, not a political party. Congratulations to the Bush/Obama syndicate for creating the greatest divide in this country since the civil war. The 2 most pathetic Presidents in the history of this country. People are constantly debating Bush-vs-Obama WAKE UP they are on the same team opposing the us and the Constitution. Every day we are losing our privacy and our rights all in the name of created fear.
It is really great that people have jumped on the political bandwagon since election. So many who never cared one bit about politics are now experts that have it all figured out.
Try to remember we are ALL AMERICAN'S. We are loyal to the Constitution and bill of rights. Not a political party.
Stop dividing this country, that is what they want. All great empires fall from within, divide and conquer.
That is just some ridiculous conspiracy junk though, right? Just like Big Brother will never have cameras all over watching our every move, oh yeah they already do!
Vladimir Vulovic
Finally! Welcome America to 21st Century!
Sam
Interesting at the very least
jackie
meant to say "I AM a 'democrat'.

George
We expect you not to be able to spell, just like you can not hold a job to keep your own health insurance.
Maybe you should get hooked on phonics. Go get your required injections that the government orders. No worries though they will treat you fair because your a democrat not a republican.
I am an American, nothing else.

ReadingRight
That's "you're" not "your" If your going to insult someone's spelling, might want to check your own.

smartypants
Duh… that's grammar, not spelling you moron.

bob
I heard obama is building concentration camps for us too. He may be the Anti-Christ..
notforsocialism
Why can't people pay doctors directly? Why can't we have health insurance only for emergencies? Why do we need to have so much administration in both the insurance companies and medical establishments? Why not a bill to address these issues? Why aren't people asking more questions?

http://intensedebate.com/people/sandyjo53 sandyjo53
That's when we had it made,once the HMO's got into the mix it went down hill from there and the entitlements started.
What! you mean I should actually pay for my office visit!
It's funny how people can afford to go to dinner every night,they can afford those brand new expensive cars,they can afford all the little pleasures in life, but can't find the money for a doctors visit and want the taxpayers to cover that cost.

http://intensedebate.com/people/sandyjo53 sandyjo53
Why is it we never hear of all these medical health insurance concerns for the last 20 years, only just since Obama got elected,he gets elected and now all of a sudden there are thousands dieing everyday because they have no insurance,what!
I guess if this is so great and going to save us,we should let it play out,I hope it works like the utopia the people thinks it will be,but if it doesn't at least they can not say it was the republicans fault anymore,this is all the democrats.
We might all be living in the streets because of the cost of it,but that's ok at least the people will have the coverage they want.

Health Care Bill Passes Along Partisan Lines

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