Obama, House Democrats work to get votes, ease disagreements

By ERICA WERNER and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and House Democrats scrambled Thursday to secure the votes to pass a historic healthcare overhaul initiative, working to ease disagreements with the rank-and-file over abortion and illegal immigrants.

Obama met at the White House with several Hispanic lawmakers who oppose any prohibition on the ability of illegal immigrants to use their own money to buy health coverage in a new government-run marketplace.

"He listened to us. We listened to him," said Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. "We made it very clear that 20 votes in the Hispanic caucus" depend on the language in the House bill.

There is no prohibition in the legislation, but the White House backs such a ban, and one exists in the Senate bill.

House Rules Committee Chairwoman Louse Slaughter, D-N.Y., said later that she does not believe that there would be any change to the House bill.

The second-ranking Democrat in the House said lawmakers would debate and vote Saturday on the $1.2 trillion measure that expands coverage to millions of uninsured Americans.

In a major boost, the American Medical Association and the powerful seniors’ lobby AARP threw their weight behind the bill.

AARP, with 40 million members, promised to run ads and contact activists to gin up support.

Democratic opponents of abortion want stronger provisions written in the bill that no federal funds would be used to finance abortion in coverage bought in the government-run exchange.

Language being circulated by one anti-abortion Democrat, Rep. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana, seemed likely to be the basis for an agreement.

Ellsworth’s language aims to strengthen stipulations already in the bill against federal money being used to pay for abortions.

It would still allow people to pay for abortion coverage with their own money.

Obama heralded the support of the two groups.

"I urge Congress to listen to AARP, listen to the AMA, and pass this reform for hundreds of millions of Americans who will benefit from it," Obama told reporters.

At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Democrats were listening.

"We are right on the brink," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "We have an historic opportunity for us to again provide quality healthcare for all Americans. It is something that many of us have worked our whole political lifetimes on."

Pelosi and other Democratic leaders are working to nail down the majority votes they will need to pass the bill.

Despite the optimism, work remains to be done, and a much slower timeline in the Senate makes the outcome unpredictable.

Action in the Senate may not come until next year, and legislation passed by the two chambers would have to be reconciled before a bill could go to Obama.

Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and other House leaders spent Thursday in meetings on final details of the bill.

Hoyer, D-Md., predicted a tight vote.

"I wouldn’t refer to it as a squeaker, but I think it’s going to be close," Hoyer said.

The House bill would cover 96 percent of Americans, providing government subsidies beginning in 2013 to extend coverage to millions.

Self-employed people and small businesses could buy coverage through the new exchanges, either from a private insurer or a new government plan that would compete.

All the plans sold through the exchange would have to follow basic consumer protection rules.

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