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Obama gets closer to £519bn health insurance for all
Paul Thompson in Miami14.10.09
Barack Obama's ambitious plans to reform US health care have cleared a major hurdle.
The US President's Democratic allies on the powerful Senate finance committee pushed through a 10-year, $829billion (£519billion) plan that is intended to provide health insurance to many of the 46million American people without cover.
The plan, which will represent the biggest ever shake-up in healthcare in America, still has several hurdles to clear before Mr Obama can sign it into the law books. But he hailed the vote as a "critical milestone" and said: "We are closer than ever before to passing healthcare reform but we are not there yet. Now is not the time to pat ourselves on the back...It is time to dig in further and get this done."
The healthcare package still has to be passed by the Senate and House before the millions without insurance can start to get some form of cover. The plan will also bring down costs for others who pay for private insurance. The finance committee voted 14-9 to support the plan with a solitary Republican, Olympia Snowe of Maine, siding with the Democrats.
She said of her vote: "When history calls, history calls," but warned that support could not be taken for granted in future votes. Her decision to cross party lines brought a personal message of thanks from the president. He said: "I want to particularly thank Senator Olympia Snowe for both the political courage and seriousness of purpose that she has demonstrated throughout this process."
But Republicans are gearing up for a fight to prevent the final bill becoming law. "It's going to cost us an arm and a leg," said Utah Senator Orrin Hatch.
Reader views (3)
he has only been in office but a few months, and yet his long term plans are genuinly for the greater good.
Show me something good that bush did, ???
- James, somewhere
The proposed US national healthcare plan - Obamacare - is so embedded with socialist wishlist pork that it scares the living daylights out of an awful lot of ordinary people in the USA. He can't justifiably accuse millions of people of being right wing fanatics, even if the sympathetic left-wing press (which out-numbers the Fox channel by a huge percentage I might add) do focus on the relatively few inarticulately angry and concerned people who are not public speakers.
When the response to concerns - yes even the silly ones made by the sometimes uninformed - is simply to dismiss them as reactionary and Republican stooge play-acting and therefore not worthy of consideration, it is hardly surprising that they are seen to be avoiding explanations and that they are driving towards imposing their plans rather than encouraging their acceptance. It is seen by more and more people as politicised medicine.
That thing about, "Government of the people, by the people, for the people" sounds pretty good on paper, but like many other things in the US constitution and its by-products, is not very convenient to America's current experiment in socialism.
- Rogan, Irving
Not to disparage the need, but Obama's plan will not do what it claims and many experts have placed the actual cost at close to $1 trillion a year. Coverage could be done cheaper and better.
- Paul In Ohio, Columbus, Ohio, USA
