December 27, 2009

Early Christmas Eve morning, while most of the country slept, the U.S. Senate passed its own version of healthcare reform legislation with a vote of 60 to 39.  Senators delivered the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” after accepting amendments that replaced the Public Option with a multi-state insurance exchange.  Democratic Senators who made up 58 of the 60 votes promised that the legislation would ensure that an additional 31 million Americans would obtain health insurance coverage.  The estimated price tag—-$871 billion over the next decade.