President Obama’s promise to reform health care could very well be coming to fruition. The Senate Finance Committee approved a version of the healthcare reform bill. According to The Associated Press, support for the bill was split down party lines and it only got backing from one Republican, Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine. Snowe’s brave decision to break party lines contributed to the bill’s passing at 14-9 in its favor.
The AP reports that she supports her decision saying, “When history calls, history calls.”
Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus proposed the bill calling it a “commonsense, balanced solution.”
Under this bill, healthcare reform will cost $829 billion and does not include a national public health insurance option. The bill will however lower the federal budget deficit by $81 billion.
This is not the end of discussion on healthcare however. The next round of voting, takes place two weeks from now on the Senate floor.
