Senate Committee Approves Health-Care Bill

By Ceci Connolly

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 11:20 AM

The Senate's health committee approved legislation today that, if enacted, would vastly expand health insurance coverage in America and tighten restrictions on the way the industry operates.

The 13-10, party-line vote gives President Obama an important victory in what promises to be a lengthy and contentious drive to enact a comprehensive health-care overhaul this year.

The bill, named "Quality, Affordable Health Coverage for All Americans," would create a controversial new government-sponsored health program that would compete with the private sector. It requires that every American carry health insurance and provides generous discounts to people who cannot afford a plan. Millions more Americans would also be eligible for Medicaid, the joint federal-state health program for the poor.

Obama said in a statement that the proposal would "bring down costs, expand coverage, and increase choice." The committee vote, he added, "should . . . provide the urgency for both the House and Senate to finish their critical work on health reform before the August recess."

(More here.)