WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate unveiled on Wednesday night a health care reform bill that was estimated to cost nearly 850 billion U.S. dollars.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told a press conference that the overhaul health care reform bill would expand health insurance coverage to 30 million more Americans.
Citing an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, Reid, a Democrat, said that the bill was estimated to cost 849 billion dollars over 10 years but it can reduce the federal deficit by 127 billion dollars in the first decade and more than 600 billion dollars in the following decade.
The 2,074-page bill, which combines two separate drafts approved by Senate committees, will be sent to the whole floor for debate and vote, Reid said.
The long-awaited bill was finally made public after Reid held a close-door meeting with Senate Democrats late afternoon.
He told reporters that public option, one of the most controversial issues about the health care reform, is included in the Senate bill, but states reserve their right to opt out after the bill is put into practice.
The bill would also cease practices including denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions, and raise Medicare payroll taxes for the wealthiest Americans to help pay for the social insurance program for the elderly.
"For too long, health insurance companies have put profits before patients. This is the moment to change that," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said.
The House of Representative approved its health care reform bill on Nov. 7 by a narrow margin of 220 to 215. But, in the Senate, the bill needs 60 out of 100 votes to be passed.
Reid said that he was "cautiously optimistic" he can win the 60 votes, which is the exact number of Democratic and Democratic-lean senators, needed to begin the debate on Friday or Saturday, the first step to have the bill passed.
President Barack Obama has set a deadline for the health care reform bill to be sent to him by the end of the year, but it is likely to be missed due to strong opposition from Republicans and conservative Democrats in Congress.
Right after the release of the Senate bill, Obama issued a statement, applauding the legislation as "another critical milestone" in the push for health care reform.
"I look forward to working with the Senate and House to get a finished bill to my desk as soon as possible," he said.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- More Americans are opposed to the health care reform bill, which was recently passed at the House of Representatives, than those who support it, according to a survey released on Tuesday.
The poll conducted by CNN and Opinion Research showed that about 49 percent of Americans polled said they opposed the legislation, while 46 percent approved it. Full story
WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The health care reform bill that passed in the House over the weekend is stirring heated debate over the cost of its proposed reforms.
On one side are those who say the reforms are affordable and on the other are those who say costs will balloon out of control. Full story
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday passed a historic bill on health care reform, which was considered a landmark legislation that has been worked on for decades.
The voting wrapped up months of efforts by Democratic congressmen to push the bill through opposition from Republicans and conservatives and helped fulfill President Barack Obama's campaign promise of universal health care coverage in the country. Full story
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Although significant, the passage of the health care reform bill in the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday was just the first victory for President Barack Obama and his party fellows in Congress.
Months of lobbying, speeches and meetings paid off as the House Democrats accumulated 220 out of 435 votes to pass their proposed health care reform bill. Full story
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. House of Representatives passed a historic overhaul health care reform bill on Saturday night, which was considered a big boost to President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party.
By voting 220 to 215, the House approved the bill H.R. 3962, titled Affordable Health Care for America Act, after hours of debates and discussion at the whole floor. Full story
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Saturday made a rare visit to Congress and met with House Democratic leaders, as his last-minute push for a health care reform that was expected to be passed later the day.
The president arrived at the Capitol Hill in late morning and held a close-door meeting with Democratic leaders including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority leader Steny Hoyer. Full story
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday passed a health care reform bill in a vote viewed as critical to help advance the Obama administration's health care overhaul agenda.
The legislation, drafted by Democrats, was approved on a 14-9 vote in the 23-member committee, with Republican Senator from Washington state Olympia Snowe broke away from her party to cast a "yes" vote. Full story
