US House Democrats confident on healthcare vote

President Barack Obama traveled to Capitol Hill to rally  support from his fellow Democrats an a healthcare reform bill  that would lead to the biggest changes in health policy in four  decades.

“Now is the time to finish the job,” Obama said later at  the White House. “I urge members of Congress to rise to this  moment, answer to the call of history and vote yes for health  insurance reform for America.”

The healthcare overhaul cleared its first hurdle when  Democrats easily approved, on a 242-192 vote, a procedural rule  setting the terms of the debate. It was the first test of  support for the measure.

The push for healthcare reform, Obama’s top priority, is  designed to rein in costs, expand coverage to millions of  uninsured and bar insurance practices such as denying coverage  to people with pre-existing conditions.

Republicans and Democrats spent hours on Saturday in  sometimes heated debate on the measure, which would bar  insurance practices such as refusing to cover people with  pre-existing conditions.

“No longer can insurance companies come between you and  your doctors,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

Republicans are united in opposition to the legislation,  criticizing its $1 trillion price tag, new taxes on the wealthy  and what they said was excessive government interference in the  private health sector.

“We can’t afford this bill,” said Republican Representative  Roy Blunt. “It’s a 2,000-page road map to a government takeover  of healthcare.”

The reform bill would lead to the biggest policy changes in  the $2.5 trillion US healthcare system since the creation of  the Medicare health programme for the elderly in 1965.

After days of frantic lobbying, House Democratic leaders  hoped to pick up key votes after striking a middle-of-the-night  deal early on Saturday with foes of abortion rights.

The abortion deal allowed dozens of Democratic moderates  concerned about the bill’s abortion provisions to have a floor  vote on whether to impose stronger restrictions on using  federal funds to pay for abortions.

The healthcare vote is critical for Obama and his fellow  Democrats who control Congress. A House victory would be a big  step forward for the overhaul and would shift the political  spotlight to the Senate, which is struggling to prepare its own  version.

But failure in the House would be a huge blow to Obama, who  has staked much of his political capital on the healthcare  battle and has said he wants to sign a bill by year’s end. Differences in the House and Senate bills ultimately would  have to be reconciled, and a final bill would need to be passed  again before it is sent to Obama for his signature.