"Keep Your Health Plan Act of 2013" clears the House of Representatives

HEALTH COVERAGE BILL PASSES WITH 39 DEMOCRATS CROSSING OVER. HR 3350 sponsored by Representative Fred Upton from Michigan passed 261 to 157 with 39 Democrats voting with the Republican majority and 4 Republicans crossing over to vote with the Democrat minority. The Senate is not in session today -- the pot is boiling but doth not yet runneth over. The simmering pot revolves about the three dozen plus three Democrats who have signaled by their crossover that they don't support President Obama who has promised a veto if the bill makes it through Congress.

The four Republicans who also crossed over to the Democrat side could eventually play a larger role. The Republican vote for this bill envisions not only allowing the rescinded health care plans to be returned to their buyers but also extends to the insurance companies the right to sell the  policies to new customers. This latter provision could wreak havoc with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) whereas the lesser proposal by the President to allow the already purchased policies to stay in effect for another year is seen as a healing measure to buy time even though this proposal also has its own troubles since it flies in the face of legislation already signed into law.

In California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has stated that he'll go along with the President's attempt at ACA repair. Proponents of the ACA feel that HR 3350 (Upton) is a not-so-subtle attempt to undermine Obamacare altogether. Stay tuned, stay informed!