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House Dems may push back vote on health care
WASHINGTON — House Democrats acknowledged today they don't yet have the votes to pass a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system, and signaled they may push back the vote until Sunday or early next week.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters in a conference call today that the make-or-break vote on President Barack Obama's push to make health coverage part of the social safety net could face delay. Democrats were hoping to pass the bill on Saturday.
The apparent problem: Democrats have yet to resolve intraparty disputes over abortion funding and illegal immigrants' access to health care. They cleared one hurdle today when liberals supporting a government-run Medicare-for-all system withdrew their demand for a floor vote.
Hoyer acknowledged that Democrats are still short of the 218 votes they need to pass the bill.
"There are many people who are still trying to get a comfort level that this is the right thing to do," he said. "We're very close."
While Hoyer said he still expects a vote Saturday evening, he said he has put lawmakers on notice they may be called to the House floor Sunday afternoon, or even Monday or Tuesday.
The White House issued a formal endorsement of the House bill Friday, and said Obama plans to go to Capitol Hill on Saturday to rally Democrats.
House passage of the 10-year, $1.2 trillion legislation that extends health coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and puts tough new restrictions on insurance companies would be a breakthrough for his agenda.
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