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Kansas City, MO – Area representatives have mixed views on the sweeping health care bill that passed the U.S. House this weekend.
Democrat Dennis Moore told KCUR immediately following House approval of the bill that Congress should have enacted legislation like this decades ago.
"Our people would be in a much better position had that happened," Moore said. "But we can't change what didn't happen. I had an opportunity to vote for health care reform tonight and it passed. And now, if the senate brings it up, I think it's going to be a major advance for our country and the people in our country."
Moore, a member of the fiscally conservative blue dog Democrat coalition, says the health bill is financially responsible and will help reduce the deficit.
Republican Sam Graves is strongly against the legislation and says he completely disagrees with such projections.
"You can't put a trillion dollars into the budget and not increase the deficit. It just can't be done," he said.
Graves also says the new insurance mandates and regulations will further raise costs.
Democrat Emmanuel Cleaver voted for the bill.
He says he doesn't think the legislation's perfect, and that it could have included a stronger public option proposal. But he says it represents the best possible legislation at this time, especially since it will expand health coverage to millions of people.
A total of thirty nine democrats voted against the bill. All democrats from Kansas and Missouri voted for it, with the exception of 4th district Missouri Representative Ike Skelton.
Only one Republican, Representative Anh "Joseph" Cao of Louisiana, supported the legislation.
Funding for health care coverage on KCUR has been provided by the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
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