US House passes healthcare overhaul

The US House of Representatives has narrowly approved President Barack Obama's top domestic priority, the healthcare reform bill.

The bill cleared the House on a 219-212 vote Sunday night. Republicans were unanimous in opposition, joined by 34 dissident Democrats.

The vote sends the bill, already approved by the Senate, to Obama to sign into law.

The legislation will extend health coverage to 32 millions of uninsured Americans, bringing to 95 percent the proportion of under-65 US citizens with private insurance.

Republicans say the $940 billion bill was a heavy-handed intrusion in the healthcare sector that will drive up costs, increase the budget deficit and reduce patients' choices.

The healthcare overhaul would usher in the biggest changes in the $2.5 trillion US healthcare system since the 1965 creation of the government-run Medicare health program for the elderly and disabled.

It would require most Americans to have health coverage, gives subsidies to help lower-income workers pay for coverage and creates state-based exchanges where the uninsured can compare and shop for plans.

Major provisions such as the exchanges and subsidies would not kick in until 2014, but many of the insurance reforms like barring companies from dropping coverage for the sick will begin in the first year.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=121385§ionid=3510203.