NM delegation split on health care reform vote (updated)

The United States House of Representatives voted to pass a sweeping health care reform bill Sunday evening. The bill passed on a 219-212 vote.

Representative Harry Teague voted against the bill as he had announced late last week while Representatives Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján both voted for the bill.

The vote came after hours of speeches by the members.

A last minute hurdle that Democrats had to clear was a bloc of pro-life Democratic voters, led by Bart Stupak, D-Mich., who promised to vote against the bill if they did not receive concessions when it came to abortion. The conservative Democrats agreed to receiving an executive order from President Barack Obama that reaffirmed the Hyde Amendment which stops any money from the Health and Human Services department from being used for abortions.

Teague said in a statement late last week that he would vote against the bill because the proposed legislation “definitely does not do enough to rein in the out of control insurance companies that are driving up healthcare costs in this country.”

“Today, Congress passed historic health insurance reform that will make coverage more affordable and secure for those with insurance, extend coverage for those without insurance, and hold insurance companies accountable,” said Luján. “Health insurance reform stops insurance companies from denying people for pre-existing conditions. It provides more choice. It lowers costs and reduces our deficit. It stops insurance companies from dropping people who are sick. It helps small businesses by giving them tax credits. It helps seniors by making prescription drugs more affordable. While this legislation does not solve every problem facing our health insurance system, it does make important steps toward reforming our broken health insurance system, and I’m proud that we were able to pass legislation that will put the people of New Mexico ahead of health insurance companies.”

The Independent will update this blog post with reactions from other New Mexico politicians as we receive them.

Update 1:

The House also passed the reconciliation bill, which must be voted on by the Senate before heading to the President’s desk, by a 220-211 vote.

Rep. Heinrich checked in with a statement. It reads, in part:

“Today’s vote to reform our broken health insurance system defines who we are as a nation.

“My vote today puts an end to insurers rejecting you because you have a pre-existing condition. My vote today closes the Medicare prescription drug doughnut hole. My vote today gives small business owners tax credits so their employee coverage will be more affordable. My vote today reduces the deficit by $1.3 trillion over the next two decades. My vote today holds insurance companies accountable.

Heinrich’s $1.3 trillion figure comes from a figure by the Congressional Budget Office.

Former U.S. Congressman Steve Pearce, who is running for his old seat in the 2nd Congressional District now held by Teague, also sent out a release which reads, in part:

“Today Nancy Pelosi got her way against the will of the majority of the country. She passed yet another trillion dollar spending bill that will destroy jobs and drive up the deficit.

“I care about New Mexico families and the health care they receive, and believe that changes must be made to the current health care system, but this legislation does not help the people who need health care. It certainly does not impact our state and country in a positive way. The final version of this bill still spends too much, increases taxes on individuals too much and puts too much government in our health care system. If elected, I will work Congress to repeal the parts of this bill that are harmful to our economy.

Update 2:

Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Turner was not happy with passage of the bill.

“March 21st will be remembered as the day Americans lost great measures of freedom. We are no longer free to choose our insurance. We are no longer free to have a relationship with our doctors that is free of government interference. For a hard day’s work, we will now keep far less of what we earn,” Turner said. “Our federal government has taken control of one-sixth of our economy.”

Turner says that the “Cornhusker Kickback” provision was not removed from the bill, which is technically correct — it was included in the Senate version of health care reform. However, the House voted on the reconciliation “fix” that will remove the provision that would have given $100 million in Medicaid funds for Nebraska. The so-called “Louisiana Purchase” would result in more Medicaid money for Louisiana, but because of a different reason — the large amount of insurance payments and aid after Hurricane Katrina struck the state has had an unintended consequence — this makes it appear that income in the state spiked when the aid hit the state which will result in a cut to Medicaid payments. That section of the bill would fix this problem in any state with significant drops in federal funding because of a natural disaster.

Update 3:

The White House Web site has Obama’s statement. Here is a portion of that statement:

This reform is the right thing to do for our seniors. It makes Medicare stronger and more solvent, extending its life by almost a decade. And it’s the right thing to do for our future. It will reduce our deficit by more than $100 billion over the next decade, and more than $1 trillion in the decade after that.

So this isn’t radical reform. But it is major reform. This legislation will not fix everything that ails our health care system. But it moves us decisively in the right direction. This is what change looks like.

Republican congressional candidate Jon Barela released a statement with a different take.

“This bill will increase the cost and decrease the quality of health care in America,” Barela said in his statement. “That’s why New Mexicans, and Americans in general, have been so adamantly opposed to this legislation. They did not ask for a government takeover of their health care system, but Martin Heinrich and Nancy Pelosi have decided to force it upon them anyway.”

The title of this post was changed from “House passes health care reform bill.”