Obama’s Triumph

President Obama has succeeded where all his predecessors had failed. Americans will have universal health care.

At 10:45 PM Washington time, Democratic members of the House of Representatives jumped from their seats in celebration; at that moment the digital vote counter reached the magic number 216, the number necessary to pass Obama’s healthcare reform bill. It was clear from that moment on that Americans would have radical new healthcare reform, not immediately but gradually; a few would benefit from it already this year.

In the near future, 32 million of the 47 million uninsured Americans would have health insurance. Insurers would no longer be allowed to deny anyone coverage due to a pre-existing condition or cancel their coverage because of high costs. The situation now, simply put, is that it’s mandatory for everyone to be insured and it’s mandatory to insure everyone.

It’s a historic step for proponents of universal healthcare as well as for those opposed to it. For those in favor, America has finally fulfilled a long-overdue obligation to care for its citizens as well as it being a moral and economic imperative. This places universal healthcare in the same category as the introduction of Social Security 75 years earlier, Medicare and Medicaid 45 years ago and perhaps even on the same level as the advent of civil rights for African-Americans.

Opponents, on the other hand, feel America is turning its back on itself, away from its basic founding principles and mission. They see universal healthcare as an unacceptable intrusion of government into individual privacy and freedom. They see Democrats as embarking on a dangerous, un-American journey that will inevitably lead straight to bigger governmental bureaucracy and a social welfare state culminating in a socialist nation.

One hundred years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt called for the first reforms in healthcare and health insurance. Many of his successors also felt it necessary, even many conservatives among them. The most far-reaching reforms were proposed by President Richard Nixon. His plan went far beyond anything in the current Democratic legislation that the Republicans so vehemently opposed.

But most Presidents dared not even try and those that did try failed. Barack Obama made the breakthrough principally because he was able to get the support of labor unions, the pharmaceutical industry, and organizations that represent physicians, hospitals and small businesses. The strongest opposition came from the health insurance industry itself.

Nevertheless, only the smallest of majorities voted in favor of this historic legislation; the final tally was 219 in favor to 212 against. The Republican minority was aided by the defection of 34 Democrats. It was a tug-of-war and a nail-biter right to the end.

Adamant differences arose again over the weekend. A majority in favor was just a toss-up since too many Democrats were still on the fence. They hesitated out of fear of a voter backlash. President Obama went on the air once again Saturday evening with an impassioned speech to Democrats in the House, urging them not to squander such a historic opportunity

Nobody could predict whether the voters would welcome the changes, Obama said, adding that this historic moment wasn’t about the coming elections but rather about doing what was right for the nation and its citizens. Unsaid but nonetheless implicit was the message that the vote would also spell the difference between success or failure for the Obama presidency.

Democrats first had to convince economists that their proposed legislation wouldn’t lead to an increase in the national debt. But the bi-partisan Congressional Budget Office put that fear to rest when they reported that the reforms would result in long-term savings of $1.2 trillion.

Then they went after the abortion opponents who feared that women seeking abortions could buy health insurance that included abortion coverage funded with public money. At the last minute, Obama assured them that the current policy mandating no government funds for abortion would remain unchanged.

As the President spoke on Saturday evening, thousands of reform opponents gathered outside the Capitol to express their rage. They yelled, “Kill the bill!” and promised that anyone voting in favor of it would feel the wrath of the voters in the next election. They called passing House members Nazis, socialists and dictators; black representatives were branded with the taboo “N-word.” That’s a term hardly ever heard since the days of civil rights protests, complained Representative John Lewis of Georgia.

By the time the vote rolled around, nerves in the House chamber were already laid bare; members had argued over the provisions for months. When it became clear that abortion opponents were willing to accept Obama’s assurances and would support the bill, an enraged Republican in the chamber screamed, “Baby-killer!”

At the White House, people embraced one another. They had done it; the President put his pen to the legislation, which still must be supplemented this week. It’s complicated but true: the House only approved the Senate bill Saturday evening with the proviso that the Democratically-controlled Senate approve the changes made by the House, something the Senate Majority Leader has already promised.

Obama appeared relieved when he stepped in front of the cameras to announce the healthcare revolution. He had pushed for it for over a year and it was now on its way. But the bickering over it will continue.