Change we can believe in

Change // Reform // Collaboration

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'Not the kind of change we believe in' - Kill the bill

The bottom line is they all caved in, and that's not the kind of change we can believe in.

Arianna Huffington speaking about how Democrats have caved in to Joe Liberman on Healthcare reform (3:01-3:08)

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Howard Dean speaking on MSNBC on why we need to Kill the Senate Healthcare bill and start again in the House. 

This is essentially the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate..Honestly the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill, go back to the House, start the reconciliation process, where you only need 51 votes and it would be a much simpler bill.

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'Oh, what a night!' - House Passes Health Reform

Late last night, the US House of Representatives passed the Democrats' healthcare reform bill. Despite countless attempts over recent decades, no chamber of Congress has ever before passed comprehensive health reform. This is history.

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As Nancy Pelosi said: "Oh, what a night!".

In order to pass the bill, Democrats needed a majority, or 218 votes. They got 220.

The WhiteHouse released a simple chart reflecting the President's plan.

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For more on the President's plan see video below:

Following the vote the White House released a statement from President Obama:

Tonight, in an historic vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would finally make real the promise of quality, affordable health care for the American people.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act is a piece of legislation that will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality affordable options for those who don’t; and bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the government while strengthening the financial health of Medicare. And it is legislation that is fully paid for and will reduce our long-term federal deficit.

Thanks to the hard work of the House, we are just two steps away from achieving health insurance reform in America. Now the United States Senate must follow suit and pass its version of the legislation. I am absolutely confident it will, and I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year.

It's now off to the Senate.

The Final Vote

The Post-Vote Press Conference

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Should Government run our Health Insurance?

NPR's Planet Money podcast recently discussed the concept of a single-payer healthcare system with Donna Smith of the California Nurses Association and Stuart Butler of the Heritage Foundation.

During the show they mention the video below regarding why a universal healthcare system, with a single-payer would bring down costs. The U.S. Senate Finance Committee recently twice voted down the Obama Administrations so-called public option. Such a single payer system is, however, prevalent in many countries such as Canada and the UK. The arguments in the videos below give a good overview of the pros and cons of each approach.

And a critique from How the World Works

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