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House|Senate

111th Congress, Vote 887; House of Representatives #3962

Affordable Health Care for America Act


Official Title: An act to provide a physician payment update, to provide pension funding relief, and for other purposes.

HR 3962: Affordable Health Care for America Act
Passed House November 7, 2009, 220-215.

Synopsis: This was the first vote on a health reform bill. It included a new government-run insurance plan (aka the "public option") to compete with the private companies. This early version of health reform legislation:

  • Required that all Americans have health insurance;
  • Prohibited insurers from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions; and
  • Called for a surtax on individuals with incomes above $500,000.

Because this bill included a public option that would compete with private insurers, many liberals preferred it to the version that finally passed in 2010. Surprisingly, this was originally a House bill, sponsored by Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.). It passed by the thinnest of margins, with just two votes to spare. House Democrats tried to close ranks, but 39 Democrats bucked their party's leaders to vote "No." A year later, the significantly more conservative Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would barely scrape through the House, 219-212.

The public option was ultimately dropped because both the White House and many Democrats in Congress saw it as an impediment to getting a law passed. The surtax on individuals with incomes over $500,000 also was scrapped.

Why supporters pushed for this bill

"This legislation will mean affordability for the middle class, security for our seniors, and honors our responsibility to our children, adding not one dime to the deficit," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) – who has introduced national health insurance in every Congress since taking office 1955 – said the bill "provides coverage for 96 percent of Americans. It offers everyone, regardless of health or income, the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will have access to affordable health care when they need it."

Why opponents tried to stop the bill

Republicans labeled the bill "a massive government takeover of an industry that account for one-sixth of the U.S. economy." They warned that the Democratic bill would pave the way toward taxpayer-funded abortions and coverage for illegal immigrants.

"Generations unborn are crying out to us tonight to preserve their freedoms," said Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who had drawn thousands of conservative "tea party" activists into the halls of Capitol office buildings on Thursday to protest the bill.

11/07/2009 Status: House passed

More: select a member to see his or her other key health care votes.

Yes (220)
Our pick
D Robert Berry AR
D Victor Snyder AR
D Gabrielle Giffords AZ
D Raúl Grijalva AZ
D Ann Kirkpatrick AZ
D Harry Mitchell AZ
D Ed Pastor AZ
D Joe Baca CA
D Xavier Becerra CA
D Howard Berman CA
D Lois Capps CA
D Dennis Cardoza CA
D Judy Chu CA
D Jim Costa CA
D Susan Davis CA
D Anna Eshoo CA
D Sam Farr CA
D Bob Filner CA
D John Garamendi CA
D Jane Harman CA
D Michael Honda CA
D Barbara Lee CA
D Zoe Lofgren CA
D Doris Matsui CA
D Jerry McNerney CA
D George Miller CA
D Grace Napolitano CA
D Nancy Pelosi CA
D Laura Richardson CA
D L. Roybal-Allard CA
D Linda Sánchez CA
D Loretta Sanchez CA
D Adam Schiff CA
D Brad Sherman CA
D Jackie Speier CA
D Fortney Stark CA
D Mike Thompson CA
D Maxine Waters CA
D Diane Watson CA
D Henry Waxman CA
D Lynn Woolsey CA
D Diana DeGette CO
D Ed Perlmutter CO
D Jared Polis CO
D John Salazar CO
D Joe Courtney CT
D Rosa DeLauro CT
D James Himes CT
D John Larson CT
D Christopher Murphy CT
D Corrine Brown FL
D Kathy Castor FL
D Alan Grayson FL
D Alcee Hastings FL
D Ron Klein FL
D Kendrick Meek FL
D D. Wasserman Schultz FL
D Robert Wexler FL
D Sanford Bishop GA
D Henry Johnson GA
D John Lewis GA
D David Scott GA
D Neil Abercrombie HI
D Mazie Hirono HI
D Leonard Boswell IA
D Bruce Braley IA
D David Loebsack IA
D Melissa Bean IL
D Jerry Costello IL
D Danny Davis IL
D Bill Foster IL
D Luis Gutiérrez IL
D Deborah Halvorson IL
D Phil Hare IL
D Jesse Jackson IL
D Daniel Lipinski IL
D Mike Quigley IL
D Bobby Rush IL
D Janice Schakowsky IL
D André Carson IN
D Joe Donnelly IN
D Brad Ellsworth IN
D Baron Hill IN
D Peter Visclosky IN
D Dennis Moore KS
D John Yarmuth KY
R Anh Cao LA
D Michael Capuano MA
D William Delahunt MA
D Barney Frank MA
D Stephen Lynch MA
D Edward Markey MA
D James McGovern MA
D Richard Neal MA
D John Olver MA
D John Tierney MA
D Niki Tsongas MA
D Elijah Cummings MD
D Donna Edwards MD
D Steny Hoyer MD
D C. Ruppersberger MD
D John Sarbanes MD
D Chris Van Hollen MD
D Michael Michaud ME
D Chellie Pingree ME
D John Conyers MI
D John Dingell MI
D Dale Kildee MI
D Carolyn Kilpatrick MI
D Sander Levin MI
D Gary Peters MI
D Mark Schauer MI
D Bart Stupak MI
D Keith Ellison MN
D Betty McCollum MN
D James Oberstar MN
D Timothy Walz MN
D Russ Carnahan MO
D Wm. Clay MO
D Emanuel Cleaver MO
D Bennie Thompson MS
D George Butterfield NC
D Bob Etheridge NC
D R. Miller NC
D David Price NC
D Melvin Watt NC
D Earl Pomeroy ND
D Paul Hodes NH
D Carol Shea-Porter NH
D Robert Andrews NJ
D Rush Holt NJ
D Frank Pallone NJ
D Bill Pascrell NJ
D Donald Payne NJ
D Steven Rothman NJ
D Albio Sires NJ
D Martin Heinrich NM
D Ben Luján NM
D Shelley Berkley NV
D Dina Titus NV
D Gary Ackerman NY
D Michael Arcuri NY
D Timothy Bishop NY
D Yvette Clarke NY
D Joseph Crowley NY
D Eliot Engel NY
D John Hall NY
D Brian Higgins NY
D Maurice Hinchey NY
D Steve Israel NY
D Nita Lowey NY
D Daniel Maffei NY
D Carolyn Maloney NY
D Carolyn McCarthy NY
D Gregory Meeks NY
D Jerrold Nadler NY
D William Owens NY
D Charles Rangel NY
D José Serrano NY
D Louise Slaughter NY
D Paul Tonko NY
D Edolphus Towns NY
D Nydia Velázquez NY
D Anthony Weiner NY
D Steve Driehaus OH
D Marcia Fudge OH
D Marcy Kaptur OH
D Mary Jo Kilroy OH
D Tim Ryan OH
D Zachary Space OH
D Betty Sutton OH
D Charles Wilson OH
D Earl Blumenauer OR
D Peter DeFazio OR
D Kurt Schrader OR
D David Wu OR
D Robert Brady PA
D Christopher Carney PA
D Kathleen Dahlkemper PA
D Michael Doyle PA
D Chaka Fattah PA
D Paul Kanjorski PA
D Patrick Murphy PA
D John Murtha PA
D Allyson Schwartz PA
D Joe Sestak PA
D Patrick Kennedy RI
D James Langevin RI
D James Clyburn SC
D John Spratt SC
D Steve Cohen TN
D Jim Cooper TN
D Henry Cuellar TX
D Lloyd Doggett TX
D Charles Gonzalez TX
D Al Green TX
D Gene Green TX
D Rubén Hinojosa TX
D Sheila Jackson Lee TX
D Eddie Johnson TX
D Solomon Ortiz TX
D Silvestre Reyes TX
D Ciro Rodriguez TX
D Gerald Connolly VA
D James Moran VA
D Thomas Perriello VA
D Robert Scott VA
D Peter Welch VT
D Norman Dicks WA
D Jay Inslee WA
D Rick Larsen WA
D Jim McDermott WA
D Adam Smith WA
D Tammy Baldwin WI
D Steve Kagen WI
D Ron Kind WI
D Gwen Moore WI
D David Obey WI
D Alan Mollohan WV
D Nick Rahall WV
No (215)
R Don Young AK
R Robert Aderholt AL
R Spencer Bachus AL
R Jo Bonner AL
D Bobby Bright AL
D Artur Davis AL
R Parker Griffith AL
R Mike Rogers AL
R John Boozman AR
D Mike Ross AR
R Jeff Flake AZ
R Trent Franks AZ
R John Shadegg AZ
R Brian Bilbray CA
R Mary Bono Mack CA
R Ken Calvert CA
R John Campbell CA
R David Dreier CA
R Elton Gallegly CA
R Walter Herger CA
R Duncan Hunter CA
R Darrell Issa CA
R Jerry Lewis CA
R Daniel Lungren CA
R Kevin McCarthy CA
R Tom McClintock CA
R Howard McKeon CA
R Gary Miller CA
R Devin Nunes CA
R George Radanovich CA
R Dana Rohrabacher CA
R Edward Royce CA
R Mike Coffman CO
R Doug Lamborn CO
D Betsy Markey CO
R Michael Castle DE
R Gus Bilirakis FL
D Allen Boyd FL
R Virginia Brown-Waite FL
R Vern Buchanan FL
R Ander Crenshaw FL
R Lincoln Diaz-Balart FL
R Mario Diaz-Balart FL
D Suzanne Kosmas FL
R Connie Mack FL
R John Mica FL
R Jeff Miller FL
R Bill Posey FL
R Adam Putnam FL
R Thomas Rooney FL
R Ileana Ros-Lehtinen FL
R Clifford Stearns FL
R C. Young FL
D John Barrow GA
R Paul Broun GA
R Nathan Deal GA
R Phil Gingrey GA
R Jack Kingston GA
R John Linder GA
D James Marshall GA
R Tom Price GA
R Lynn Westmoreland GA
R Steve King IA
R Tom Latham IA
D Walter Minnick ID
R Michael Simpson ID
R Judy Biggert IL
R Timothy Johnson IL
R Mark Kirk IL
R Donald Manzullo IL
R Peter Roskam IL
R Aaron Schock IL
R John Shimkus IL
R Dan Burton IN
R Stephen Buyer IN
R Mike Pence IN
R Mark Souder IN
R Lynn Jenkins KS
R Jerry Moran KS
R Todd Tiahrt KS
D Ben Chandler KY
R Geoff Davis KY
R Brett Guthrie KY
R Harold Rogers KY
R Ed Whitfield KY
R Rodney Alexander LA
R Charles Boustany LA
R Bill Cassidy LA
R John Fleming LA
D Charles Melancon LA
R Steve Scalise LA
R Roscoe Bartlett MD
D Frank Kratovil MD
R Dave Camp MI
R Vernon Ehlers MI
R Peter Hoekstra MI
R Thaddeus McCotter MI
R Candice Miller MI
R Mike Rogers MI
R Fred Upton MI
R Michele Bachmann MN
R John Kline MN
R Erik Paulsen MN
D Collin Peterson MN
R W. Akin MO
R Roy Blunt MO
R Jo Ann Emerson MO
R Sam Graves MO
R Blaine Luetkemeyer MO
D Ike Skelton MO
D Travis Childers MS
R Gregg Harper MS
D Gene Taylor MS
R Dennis Rehberg MT
R Howard Coble NC
R Virginia Foxx NC
R Walter Jones NC
D Larry Kissell NC
R Patrick McHenry NC
D Mike McIntyre NC
R Sue Myrick NC
D Heath Shuler NC
R Jeff Fortenberry NE
R Adrian Smith NE
R Lee Terry NE
D John Adler NJ
R Rodney Frelinghuysen NJ
R Scott Garrett NJ
R Leonard Lance NJ
R Frank LoBiondo NJ
R Christopher Smith NJ
D Harry Teague NM
R Dean Heller NV
R Peter King NY
R Christopher Lee NY
D Eric Massa NY
D Michael McMahon NY
D Scott Murphy NY
R Steve Austria OH
D John Boccieri OH
R John Boehner OH
R Jim Jordan OH
D Dennis Kucinich OH
R Steven LaTourette OH
R Robert Latta OH
R Jean Schmidt OH
R Patrick Tiberi OH
R Michael Turner OH
D Dan Boren OK
R Tom Cole OK
R Mary Fallin OK
R Frank Lucas OK
R John Sullivan OK
R Greg Walden OR
D Jason Altmire PA
R Charles Dent PA
R Jim Gerlach PA
D Tim Holden PA
R Tim Murphy PA
R Joseph Pitts PA
R Todd Platts PA
R Bill Shuster PA
R Glenn Thompson PA
R James Barrett SC
R Henry Brown SC
R Bob Inglis SC
R Joe Wilson SC
D S. Herseth Sandlin SD
R Marsha Blackburn TN
D Lincoln Davis TN
R John Duncan TN
D Barton Gordon TN
R David Roe TN
D John Tanner TN
R Zach Wamp TN
R Joe Barton TX
R Kevin Brady TX
R Michael Burgess TX
R John Carter TX
R K. Conaway TX
R John Culberson TX
D Thomas Edwards TX
R Louie Gohmert TX
R Kay Granger TX
R Ralph Hall TX
R Jeb Hensarling TX
R Sam Johnson TX
R Kenny Marchant TX
R Michael McCaul TX
R Randy Neugebauer TX
R Pete Olson TX
R Ronald Paul TX
R Ted Poe TX
R Pete Sessions TX
R Lamar Smith TX
R Mac Thornberry TX
R Rob Bishop UT
R Jason Chaffetz UT
D Jim Matheson UT
D Frederick Boucher VA
R Eric Cantor VA
R J. Forbes VA
R Bob Goodlatte VA
D Glenn Nye VA
R Robert Wittman VA
R Frank Wolf VA
D Brian Baird WA
R Doc Hastings WA
R C. McMorris Rodgers WA
R David Reichert WA
R Thomas Petri WI
R Paul Ryan WI
R F. Sensenbrenner WI
R Shelley Capito WV
R Cynthia Lummis WY