Obama confident of health care victory

Washington : The long, turbulent struggle over landmark health care legislation has tilted in US President Barack Obama's favour as undecided Democratic lawmakers begin choosing sides.

In full campaign mode, his voice rising, the president all but claimed victory on Friday, declaring to a cheering audience in Virginia: "We are going to fix health care in America."

With the showdown vote set for today in the House of Representatives, Obama decided to make one final, personal appeal to rank-and-file Democrats, arranging a visit yesterday to the Capitol.

Priority

Obama has put his presidency on the line to gain passage of his top domestic priority in the face of unanimous opposition from Republicans who say the plan amounts to a government takeover of health care that will lead to higher deficits and taxes.

The health care reform programme would affect nearly every American and remake one-sixth of the US economy. For the first time Americans would be required to have health care insurance and face penalties if they refused. The United States is the only major industrialised country that does not have a comprehensive national health care plan.

Billions of dollars would be set aside for subsidies to help families at incomes of up to $88,000 (Dh322,960) a year afford the cost.

Congressional leaders worked into Friday night attempting to resolve the dispute over abortion. Representative Bart Stupak, who succeeded last November in inserting strict anti-abortion language into the House bill, hoped to do so again. That prospect angered lawmakers who support abortion rights.

Obama, who delayed a trip to Indonesia and Australia to help ensure passage of the legislation, spoke to an enthusiastic crowd at a suburban university, lobbing attacks at the insurance industry with his jacket off and sleeves rolled up.

Single vote

Under a complex and controversial procedure Democrats have devised, a single vote will likely be held in the House to endorse a bill approved by the Senate last year as well as a second measure with a package of fixes agreed to in negotiations with the White House.

The Senate would then use a procedure called reconciliation to pass the fix-it measure that requires only a simple majority of 51 in the 100-member body, avoiding Republican delaying tactics.