WASHINGTON – After a month of intense debate, a preliminary roll call of Democrats held at 1 a.m. Monday revealed the Senate has the 60 votes needed to override Republicans and call a floor vote on a healthcare reform bill.
Senate leaders said they plan to hold a final vote by Christmas Eve on the Senate's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to cut the federal deficit by $132 billion over the next 10 years while providing healthcare coverage to an additional 31 million Americans.
"Senate Democrats are determined to not let the American people down because we know the cost of inaction," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). "Almost 8,000 Americans lose their health insurance every day that we do not act."
President Barack Obama called the preliminary vote, favored by all 58 Senate Democrats and two independents, a major step forward and added "there's still much work left to be done."
When the Senate approves its bill, it must be combined with the House version, passed Nov. 7.
"As with any legislation, compromise is part of the process," Obama said at a press conference held shortly after the roll call.
According to Obama, the latest version of the Senate bill would establish an insurance exchange where Americans can purchase healthcare coverage. It would prevent insurance companies from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions once the exchange is open. In the meantime, there would be a high risk pool where people with pre-existing conditions could purchase affordable coverage.
According to Obama, new additions to the bill would prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage to children immediately after the bill passes. The bill would also protect a patient's choice of doctor and give small businesses assistance with providing coverage to employees.
The bill would prohibit insurance companies from dropping coverage when an enrollee gets sick. Under the bill, families would save on premiums and coverage would be extended to 30 million more Americans, Obama said.
"As I said before, these are not small changes," the president said. "These are big changes. They're fundamental reforms. They will save money. They will save lives. And I look forward to working with the Senate and the House to finish the work that remains so that we can make this reform a reality for the American people."
Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said Senate Democrats' plans to pass their bill will deliver "an early lump of coal in every American's stocking."
"Instead of giving the American people what they asked for – a bill that would reduce healthcare costs – Senate Democrats are trying to pass a bill that would drive up costs, hike taxes by the New Year, slash Medicare benefits to create a new entitlement program and explode the deficit," he said.
Karen Ignagni, president and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), issued a statement saying, "The debate before us today is not whether insurance market reforms are needed. In fact, health plans proposed and support a complete overhaul of insurance market rules and new consumer protections to ensure all Americans have guaranteed access to affordable, portable coverage."
"The critical policy questions are whether the current legislation can bend the cost curve and result in a sustainable system," she said. "While the bill makes important improvements in access and takes steps towards cost-containment, it lacks accountability to ensure that costs are brought under control. Moreover, this bill includes provisions that will increase costs for families and small businesses and disrupt the quality coverage on which millions of Americans rely today."
