In a 13-10 vote Wednesday morning, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) approved its $600 billion health care bill. It includes provisions for employer-mandated insurance and a public health care option.
“The HELP committee’s success should give us hope, but it should not give us pause,” said President Obama in a press release today. “It should instead provide the urgency for both the House and Senate to finish their critical work on health reform before the August recess.”
The HELP bill will be merged with the Senate Finance Committee bill. The Finance Committee is still outlining a plan for funding of the health care overall which is estimated to cost nearly $1 trillion over ten years.
“The HELP Committee bill is a complete failure that would make our health care system even sicker than it is today, said ranking member of the Senate HELP committee, Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) in a press statement today. “I support President Obama’s call for a bill that will bring down costs, let Americans who like the care they have keep it and not drive up the deficit, but this bill doesn’t achieve any of those goals.”
House democrats unveiled their health care plan Tuesday, which includes employer-mandated insurance, a National Health Care Exchange and surtaxes on the wealthy. The Congressional Budget Office report on the bill estimates it to result in a $1,042 billion increase in the deficit, and expects it to leave 17 million Americans uninsured.
The Democratic National Committee is also stepping up efforts to pass through the health care bill, airing 30-second ads urging constituents to call their Senators and push through health care reform. The ads will run for two weeks, and will be aired in 14 states.
Flanked by members of the American Nurses Association, President Obama delivered a health care address in the Rose Garden today and praised the efforts of the Senate and House committees.
“This progress should make us hopeful – but it shouldn’t make us complacent,” Obama said. “It should instead provide the urgency for both the House and the Senate to finish their critical work on health reform before the August recess.”
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