The House in a late-night voting session Sunday approved a historic healthcare reform bill that has been the subject of extreme tension and partisan rancor over the last year.
The House passed the bill with two key votes. The first—a measure to approve the Senate version of the legislation—cleared the body by a vote of 219-212. The second measure—giving the Senate approval to make changes to its bill—won approval by a vote of 220-211. The bill will now move to the Senate, which is expected to approve the changes. Debate could begin as soon as Tuesday, but Republicans have vowed to stop the bill through any avenue available to them.
“This is what change looks like,” Obama said in televised remarks a few minutes after the legislation’s passage.
A report released Wednesday in the run-up to the vote shows a number of ways in which the reform bill will positively affect Medicare beneficiaries. Besides expanded preventative care and closing the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole,” seniors will “continue to be guaranteed all of Medicare’s basic benefits,” according to the report from the Commonwealth Fund. One key measure affecting long-term care, the CLASS Act, which would create a long-term care insurance program, is also part of the bill.
This Wednesday and Thursday, McKnight’s will host its fourth annual online expo. Experts in a variety of fields of long-term care will present webcasts on topics ranging from wound care to Medicare. Participants can earn up to five continuing education units for free, simply by registering online and attending the webcasts.
For more information, or to register online for free, please visit www.mcknights.com/marchexpo.
