House of Representatives to vote on procedural measures after Senate Republicans attempt to wreck health bill Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare legislation has to go back to the US House of Representatives for a new vote over procedural measures, after Republican attempts to wreck the bill. A series of challenges in the Senate were defeated in the early hours of this morning but problems were identified with two minor amendments that affect budget rules. They require fresh divisions in the House of Representatives. Read More…

Is the right wing going for the jugular, setting up a Supreme Court slap-down of Obama and his crowning achievement? As the healthcare reform legislation was signed, 13 state attorneys general proceeded to sue to stop the bill. Filings have begun. The Idaho AG told Chris Matthews that he expected it will take 11-13 months to reach the Supreme court. Read More…

Historic Health Care Bill Signed

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Attorneys general from 13 states sued the federal government Tuesday, claiming the landmark health care overhaul is unconstitutional just seven minutes after President Barack Obama signed it into law. The lawsuit was filed in Pensacola after the Democratic president signed the 10-year, $938 billion bill the House passed Sunday night. “The Constitution nowhere authorizes the United States to mandate, either directly or under threat of penalty, that all citizens and legal residents have qualifying health care coverage,” the lawsuit says. Legal...

An Early Look at Who’s In and Who’s Out with Passage of Democrats’ Health Care Overhaul By DEVIN DWYER, TEDDY DAVIS, RICK KLEIN and DAVID CHALIAN Passage of the health care overhaul billhas sent ripple effects through the political world and the nation’s health care system, with Democrats hailing a legislative victory and Republicans promising to have it overturned. But the politics of the historic and controversial bill – which passed by a narrow vote of 219 to 212 – will continue to play out, as analysts examine where the chips fall on what President Obama has called...

Democrats have hailed the approval of legislation extending healthcare to an additional 32 million Americans as a historic advance in social justice. The speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi said it was comparable to the establishment of Medicare and Social Security. The bill was passed in the House on Sunday evening by just seven votes. Republicans have vowed to continue to challenge it, saying it is too expensive and promotes big government. Read More…

Major ways the overhaul will affect those who currently have health insurance and those who do not. You can keep your current plan— or —you can buy coverage through new state-run insurance marketplaces, called “exchanges,” starting in 2014. If you keep your current plan Within six months, the plans will have to stop some practices, like setting lifetime limits on coverage and canceling policy holders who get sick. They will also have to allow children to stay on their parents’ policies through age 26 and cover children with pre-existing conditions, but can still deny adults with medical...

By Alan Silverleib, CNN Washington (CNN) — A sweeping bill overhauling the U.S. medical system goes to President Obama’s desk on Monday to be signed into law. The House of Representatives passed the measure late Sunday, delivering a historic victory to Obama, who had made it his No. 1 domestic priority. The bill passed in a 219-212 vote after more than a year of bitter partisan debate. All 178 Republicans opposed it, along with 34 Democrats. Read More…

Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau After a year of political upheaval that swung from a triumphant Democratic sweep in Washington to the rise of the Tea Party movement, Congress on Sunday night sent to President Obama the most sweeping social program since Medicare was enacted in 1965. The vote on the health care overhaul was 219-212, with not a single Republican supporting the measure. Read More…

Dems predict historic House vote on health care By CHARLES BABINGTON Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and Democratic House leaders resolved a long-standing dispute over abortion Sunday, securing crucial support from a handful of lawmakers and setting the stage for a historic vote on a comprehensive health care overhaul. The White House announced that Obama would issue an executive order after passage of the health care bill that reaffirms current law barring taxpayer dollars for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest and a threat to the life of the mother. Moments after...