Win for Dems as panel passes health bill

Democrats moved one step closer to their long-sought goal of providing health care to millions of uninsured Americans on Friday after their bill cleared a critical House committee.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the legislation, 31-28, on Friday after liberals and conservatives on the panel broke a two-week deadlock that threatened President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority and reached a loose accord that allowed Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) to move the bill out of his committee. Five Democrats voted against the bill, and no Republicans supported it.

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The legislation would require all Americans to secure health care and sets aside subsidies to help lower- and middle-income households do so. The bill also establishes insurance exchanges and creates a system of government-sponsored coverage to help lower the price of insurance. And it dramatically revamps laws that govern the insurance, medical and pharmaceutical industries.

Blue Dog Democrats on the committee, who are the linchpin in the House health care debate, agreed to allow their liberal colleagues to cut billions from existing government-funded health care programs in order to restore some $50 billion to $65 billion in subsidies set aside in the bill to help middle-income families purchase coverage. In a separate side deal, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised the liberal wing of her caucus a vote on a single-payer, government run health system, according to a Democratic aide.