Published: November 08, 2009 10:36 pm      

Burton, Donnelly split on House health care bill

The victory for the bill came down to just five votes

Congressmen Dan Burton and Joe Donnelly voted along party lines in the House of Representatives’ vote on health care reform this weekend, according to statements from their offices.

Democrats clinched the victory for the Affordable Health Care for America Act, one of President Barack Obama’s top legislative priorities, with a 220-215 vote, the Associated Press reported Sunday.

The vote came to the dismay of Burton, R-5th District, who represents Howard County and 10 other central Indiana counties. In a statement, his office referred to the 1,190-page H.R. 3962 as “Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s $1.2 trillion government takeover of health care.”

“I voted against Speaker Pelosi’s bill because it is a disaster for health care in America,” Burton wrote in the statement. “It costs too much, taxes too much, cuts Medicare and Medicare Advantage, and will ultimately cause health care to be rationed.”

Burton said the bill could cause millions of job losses in the U.S.

“Looking ahead, I encourage Hoosiers, and all Americans, opposed to a government takeover of health care to contact their senators and representatives and voice their concerns,” he stated. “The fight for a better way to improve America’s health care is not over yet.”

Donnelly, D-2nd District, whose district includes Howard County and 11 others stretching north to the Michigan border, announced this weekend he voted in favor of health care reform as a way to make it more affordable for all Americans and control insurance rates.

“Health care spending comprises almost one-fifth of our economy, and will be an even greater burden on businesses and families in the future unless fundamental improvements are made,” Donnelly wrote in a press statement. “... This bill is designed to make health insurance more affordable and secure for all Americans.”

Donnelly stated he wants to make sure the reform is passed in a way that would reduce the nation’s deficit.

“This legislation is not perfect, and I am working hard to make it better,” he stated. “It will not become law until merged with legislation from the United States Senate. As the process moves forward, I will continue to advocate for a final bill to include additional cost reductions that would reduce our deficit even further.”

A triumphant Pelosi compared the legislation to the passage of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare 30 years later.

Obama, who went to Capitol Hill earlier on Saturday to lobby wavering Democrats, said in a statement after the vote, “I look forward to signing it into law by the end of the year.”

“It provides coverage for 96 percent of Americans. It offers everyone, regardless of health or income, the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will have access to affordable health care when they need it,” said Rep. John Dingell, the 83-year-old Michigan lawmaker who has introduced national health insurance in every Congress since succeeding his father in 1955.

But minority Republicans cataloged their objections across hours of debate on the legislation.

“We are going to have a complete government takeover of our health care system faster than you can say, ‘this is making me sick,”’ said Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich.

In the run-up to a final vote, conservatives from the two political parties joined forces to impose tough new restrictions on abortion coverage in insurance policies to be sold to many individuals and small groups.

Donnelly was among those in favor of the restrictions, which were negotiated by many conservatives from both sides of the aisle, including Bart Stupak of Michigan, as well as Brad Ellsworth of Indiana.

The legislation would also require most Americans to carry insurance and provide federal subsidies to those who otherwise could not afford it. Large companies would have to offer coverage to their employees. Both consumers and companies would be slapped with penalties if they defied the government’s mandates.

Insurance industry practices such as denying coverage because of pre-existing medical conditions would be banned, and insurers would no longer be able to charge higher premiums on the basis of gender or medical history. The industry would also lose its exemption from federal antitrust restrictions on price fixing and market allocation.

At its core, the measure would create a federally regulated marketplace where consumers could shop for coverage. In the bill’s most controversial provision, the government would sell insurance, although the Congressional Budget Office forecasts that premiums for it would be more expensive than for policies sold by private companies.

The bill drew the votes of 219 Democrats and Rep. Joseph Cao, a first-term Republican who holds an overwhelmingly Democratic seat in New Orleans. Opposed were 176 Republicans and 39 Democrats.

From the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada issued a statement saying, “We realize the strong will for reform that exists, and we are energized that we stand closer than ever to reforming our broken health insurance system.”

To pay for the expansion of coverage, the bill cuts Medicare’s projected spending by more than $400 billion over a decade. It also imposes a tax surcharge of 5.4 percent on income over $500,000 in the case of individuals and $1 million for families.