House Dems push for votes to move health-care bill

WASHINGTON — House Democrats struggled Friday to find enough votes to pass health-care legislation, as lawmakers prepared for an all-day debate and perhaps a final vote on the bill today.

President Obama was scheduled to visit Capitol Hill today to give the House's 258 Democrats a pep talk and a push to back the top priority on his 2009 domestic agenda.

Democratic leaders Friday found increasing numbers of their conservative and moderate caucus members — even some liberals — ready to vote no for a variety of reasons, including concern about the bill's abortion and immigration provisions and qualms about its economic impact. In addition, the entire House will be up for election next year.

"There are many people who are still trying to get a comfort level that this is the right thing to do," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

Many Democrats said they don't feel comfortable.

"I don't think there are 218 votes there right now," said Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., citing the number needed to pass the House. Davis, who's running for governor in Alabama next year, planned to vote no because of concerns about the bill's impact on business and its funding.

The bill would create a government-run health-insurance plan, or public option, to compete with private insurers. People could keep the coverage they now have, while a health exchange, or marketplace, would be created so consumers could easily shop for policies.

Insurers wouldn't be able to deny anyone coverage because of pre-existing conditions and couldn't charge anyone higher premiums solely because of gender.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that, under this legislation, 96 percent of eligible Americans would have health-care coverage by 2019, up from the current 83 percent. The CBO estimates the plan's 10-year cost at $891 billion, financed by tax increases and spending cuts, and that it would reduce the federal budget deficit by $109 billion over 10 years.

House Democratic leaders hope to take an up-or-down vote on the proposal today, but they warn it could be delayed to as late as Tuesday.

Republicans will be allowed to offer an alternative today, but it's expected to be defeated easily in the Democratic-majority body.

No Republicans are expected to back the Democratic health-care plan, and at least 25 Democrats are expected to oppose it.

That means Democratic leaders can't afford to lose many more. At least 20 Democrats could walk away from the bill if their concerns about abortion aren't met. A 32-year-old law prohibits federal funds from being used for abortion except in cases of rape or incest, or if a woman's life is in danger.

The House Democratic bill says that no federal money would be used for abortion services unless a pregnancy was the result of a rape, incest or endangered a woman's life. Only private funds, generated by the patients' private monthly premium payments, could be used to pay for abortion services under other conditions.

Neither side of the abortion debate is satisfied with that. Abortion-rights advocates view the bill as having the potential to make it harder for women to get elective abortions from private insurance plans, while abortion opponents think it will be difficult to keep government money separate. Late Friday, Democrats said they had cleared an abortion-related impasse and would allow abortion opponents an opportunity to insert tougher restrictions into the legislation during debate on the House floor.

Democrats also are trying to figure out ways to make the bill's policies on illegal immigration more acceptable.

Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said many Hispanic lawmakers aren't happy with language backed by the Obama administration that would prohibit illegal immigrants from buying health insurance within a proposed new marketplace, or exchange, even if they use their own money to purchase it from private companies.

Other Democrats made it clear Friday their unease is triggered by more than those two issues. Davis was typical of members from conservative states. He thought the measure would put too heavy a burden on business, and he thinks the bill relies too heavily on higher income taxes on the wealthy.

One key revenue-raiser would be a surcharge on single filers with adjusted gross incomes of more than $500,000 and joint filers earning more than $1 million.

"The worst thing we could do during a recession is raise taxes, and this bill does just that," said Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla. "We need to pay for the bill through the health-care system," Davis said, citing the Senate idea of taxing high-end insurance policies.

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.