House Passes Health Care Reform Bill

POSTED BY JULIE PEARCE

On Sunday, President Obama thanked the U-S House of Representatives for passing a health care reform bill and he's urging the senate to do the same.

But, one key lawmaker is threatening to stop the bill dead in its tracks if it includes the public option.

At the White House, President Obama Acknowledged his biggest political victory since taking office, the House passage of a sweeping health care reform bill, "Given the heated and often misleading rhetoric surrounding this legislation, I know that this was a courageous vote for many members of Congress."

Democrats won with just two votes to spare.

One of them was from a Republican, Joseph Cao of New Orleans, who felt the heat from this traditionally liberal district and now faces the wrath of his party.

Health care reform may face an even tougher fight in the senate.

Democrats have a 60- vote majority, but that sixtieth vote, Democrat-turned-Independent, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, votes to filibuster any bill with a public option which is included in the house bill, "If the public option plan is in there, as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote, because I believe the debt can break America."

North Carolina's Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says, "The House bill is dead on arrival in the Senate... Moderate Democrats from swing districts. They bailed out on this bill. It was a bill written by liberals for liberals."

Senate Republicans are hoping to join forces with moderate Democrats and ensure their plan looks nothing like the bill that squeaked through the House.

President Obama says he's confident the senate will pass a bill that he can sign by the end of the year.

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