The US House of Representatives passed its version of a US health care reform Saturday 7 November and less than a day later President Barack Obama in a speech at the White House turned up pressure on the US Senate to quickly approve its own version of the bill. The House bill would cost $1.1 trillion and provide health care benefits to some 36 million Americans who are currently uninsured. If the Senate passes its bill, the two houses of Congress will then negotiate a final version of the bill, which will become law. The vote in the House was close and mostly along party lines: 220-215, with only one Republican voting yes. The Senate fight is expected to be even tougher, with two bills merged into one and the overall cost not yet clear.
Links to other sites: Financial Times, New York Times, NPR
The AMA (American Medical Association), long one of the most important lobbying groups in the US, is putting its support behind President Obama’s overhaul of the healthcare system, a major about-face for the group that represents many doctors in the US. For the past 60 years it has staunchly opposed any “any government overhaul of healthcare”, according to the Los Angeles Times, which quotes Dr Nancy Nielsen, the immediate past president of the AMA, as saying that “Doctors are really, really discouraged now about people not getting access to medical care,” but critics view the situation more cynically, saying the group was bought off with deals that will protect doctors’ incomes. Reuters, Washington Post
