House Health Care Bill Passes

The final vote on HR 3962, the Health Care Reform Bill, in the US House of Reprehensibles was:

220-215 (218 needed for passage)

All but one Republican voted against it, which is no great surprise (the surprise was that one - Joseph Cao of Louisiana - voted for it), but 39 Democrats apparently felt that they don't want their jobs anymore so they voted against it.

Also in the bill is the Stupid - er, sorry, Stupak - Amendment, which will make abortion almost unobtainable by ensuring that only well-to-do women will be able to afford it. 64 Democrats voted for that obscenity, so they apparently want to be challenged in primaries come re-election time.

Still, there is cause to celebrate. This is the closest health care reform has gotten in either house of the Congress since Teddy Roosevelt first suggested it.

Now it goes to the conference stage, where the House and the Senate will thrash together a compromise bill. Then both houses vote on it and the finished product goes to Obama for his signature.