Votes in Congress Service

WASHINGTON -- Here's how area members of Congress voted in the week ending Nov. 13.

HOUSE

nDEMOCRATS' HEALTH BILL: Voting 220 for and 215 against, the House on Nov. 7 passed a bill (HR 3962) that would provide affordable medical insurance to about 36 million uncovered U.S. residents while overhauling insurance-industry practices in ways that benefit the sick, the well, the uninsured and the insured. The bill, which awaits Senate action, would extend coverage to about 96 percent of the non-elderly population by 2019 while not adding to the national debt.

The bill expands Medicaid to cover an additional 15 million persons, requires employers with payrolls above $500,000 to provide insurance for their workers and establishes an exchange for delivering coverage to individuals who do not receive insurance at work or through Medicaid or Medicare. The exchange, or marketplace, would offer private policies alongside a government- run "public option" and would provide subsidies to help low- and middle-income individuals meet premium costs. The public option, a Medicare-style plan in which the government would negotiate rates with doctors and hospitals, would serve an estimated six million persons.

Roughly half of the bill's projected cost of $900 billion or more over ten years would be financed through measures that slow the growth rate of Medicare. Additionally, the bill would raise about $460 billion through a 5.4 percent surtax on individuals with adjusted gross incomes over $500,000 and couples earning over $1 million. (Surtaxes are figured on taxes owed, not adjusted gross incomes.) The bill also would levy a 2.5 percent excise tax on medical devices, among other revenue-raisers.

G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., said: "We have an obligation, constitutional and moral, to provide for the general welfare of every American citizen. Allowing a broken health-care system to continue to bankrupt families, businesses and hospitals and deny coverage to millions is a failure of duty."

A yes vote was to pass the bill.

Voting yes: G.K. Butterfield, D-1, Bob Etheridge, D-2, David Price, D-4, Melvin Watt, D-12, Brad Miller, D-13

Voting no: Walter Jones, R-3, Virginia Foxx, R-5, Howard Coble, R-6, Mike McIntyre, D-7, Larry Kissell, D-8, Sue Myrick, R-9, Patrick McHenry, R-10, Heath Shuler , D-11

nREPUBLICANS' HEALTH BILL: Voting 176 for and 258 against, the House on Nov. 7 defeated a Republican alternative to HR 3962 (above) that would grant states tens of billions of dollars over ten years as an incentive for them to expand health-insurance coverage and reduce insurance premiums for their residents. The GOP bill also would pay states up to $25 billion over ten years to finance pools for insuring high-risk individuals and reinsurance programs to help private insurers cover catastrophic costs and thus lower their premium levels. The bill would cover up to five million of the uninsured.

In contrast to the Democrats' approach, the Republican measure would not require individuals to obtain insurance or employers to offer it and would allow insurance firms to continue to deny coverage or charge higher premiums on the basis of pre-existing conditions. In other differences, the GOP bill would not raise taxes, expand Medicaid, provide premium subsidies to low- and middle- income persons or require Medicare to negotiate lower costs for prescription drugs.

Additionally, the GOP bill would enable small businesses to join together to form "association" health plans that would operate across state lines with minimal government regulation; limit medical-malpractice awards; enable insurance firms to sell policies in any number of states while being strictly regulated only by their home state and bar insurers from canceling policies after the policyholder gets sick or limiting lifetime payouts on claims.

A yes vote backed the GOP alternative.

Voting yes: Jones, Foxx, Coble, Myrick, McHenry

Voting no: Butterfield, Etheridge, Price, McIntyre, Kissell, Shuler, Watt, Miller

n DISPUTE OVER ABORTION: Voting 240 for and 194 against, the House on Nov. 7 amended HR 3962 (above) to prohibit the bill's public option from funding abortions and bar those with premiums subsidized by taxpayers from buying private policies that contain abortion coverage. The amendment went beyond "Hyde Amendment" language already in the bill that would bar federal funding of abortions except in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of the mother.

The amendment was backed by pro-life groups such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and opposed by pro-choice groups such as Planned Parenthood International.

A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.

Voting yes: Etheridge, Jones, Foxx, Coble, McIntyre, Myrick, McHenry, Shuler

Voting no: Butterfield, Price, Kissell, Watt, Miller

n MEDICAL-MALPRACTICE SUITS: Voting 187 for and 247 against, the House on Nov. 7 defeated a Republican motion to add limits on medical- malpractice suits to HR 3962 (above). The underlying bill would fund state efforts to reduce the cost of the "defensive medicine" practiced by doctors to fend off lawsuits. Republicans sought to cap non-economic damage awards at $250,000; limit plaintiffs' lawyers' contingency fees and narrow the window for filing malpractice suits, among other provisions. The GOP motion sought to generate $54 billion to be spent for the benefit of Medicare participants in rural areas.

A yes vote backed the Republican motion.

Voting yes: Jones, Foxx, Coble, Myrick, McHenry

Voting no: Butterfield, Etheridge, Price, McIntyre, Kissell, Shuler, Watt, Miller

SENATE

n JUDGE ANDRE DAVIS: Voting 72 for and 16 against, the Senate on Nov. 9 confirmed federal Judge Andre M. Davis, 60, of the Maryland District Court, for a seat on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. This gives Democratic appointees a 6-to-5 margin on the Richmond-based court, which hears appeals from federal courts in Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. The Senate has confirmed seven of President Obama's district and appellate court nominees.

A yes vote was to confirm Davis.

Voting yes: Kay Hagan, D

Not voting: Richard Burr, R