WASHINGTON — Even as bitter protests on both sides of the aisle and the issue continued through the weekend, the House of Representatives passed historic health care reform legislation late March 21.
The bill passed 219 to 212 with no Republican votes. In a switch that gave the measure some Sunday afternoon momentum, key Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, who had withheld his support over inclusion of abortion funding, changed his vote to "yes."
The House also approved a reconciliation bill including consensus revisions to the reform bill.
Democrats say the measure will extend health insurance to 30 million uninsured and limit insurance company abuses. Republicans believe the reforms are unaffordable and represent a government takeover of health care.
The bill that the House voted through, which was approved by the Senate in December, contains a number of provisions that impact HME, including the expansion of Round 2 of competitive bidding, elimination of the first-month purchase option for standard power wheelchairs and elimination of the 2 percent add-on payment (above CPI) for DME in 2014.
In addition, the measure includes an annual $2 billion excise tax on medical device manufacturers that Elyria, Ohio-based Invacare Corp. has said could send manufacturing jobs out of the country and crimp research and development.
President Obama is expected to sign the legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, on Tuesday.
Check upcoming issues of HomeCare Monday as details continue to unfold.