[JURIST] The US House of Representatives on Sunday voted 219 – 212 to approve a health care reform bill passed by the Senate in December, sending it to President Barack Obama for final approval. The bill, HR 3590 was passed after two hours of debate Sunday evening, gaining no Republican support. The bill’s passage was quickly followed by the passage of a second bill by a margin of 220 – 211, which is aimed at reconciling the Senate bill with that passed by the House in November and the proposal released by the White House earlier this month. The reconciliation bill is expected to be passed by Senate Democrats using the budget reconciliation process to bypass a Republican filibuster. Obama said that the bill represents a “victory for the American people”:oday’s vote answers the prayers of every American who has hoped deeply for something to be done about a health care system that works for insurance companies, but not for ordinary people. For most Americans, this debate has never been about abstractions, the fight between right and left, Republican and Democrat – it’s always been about something far more personal. … They are why we committed ourselves to this cause. … a victory for common sense.During floor debate Sunday, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) urged defeat of the bill, saying that it is “not what the American people need.” Today we stand here amidst the wreckage of what was once the respect and honor that this House was held in by our fellow citizens. … We have failed to listen to America. And we have failed to reflect the will of our constituents. … In this economy, with this unemployment, with our desperate need for jobs and economic growth, is this really the time to raise taxes, to create bureaucracies, and burden every job creator in our land.The bill’s passage comes as the climax to over a year of debate in Congress, and is a centerpiece of Obama’s domestic agenda. According to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the reconciliation bill will extend coverage to 32 million uninsured, at a cost of $940 billion over a decade, and will reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion over the same period and $1.2 trillion in the following decade. Boehner disputes these figures, saying that the CBO scoring process is predicated on a “fallacy.”The Senate passed its version of the health care reform bill in December in a 60-39 vote that split down party lines. Senate Republicans vowed to continue to fight to amend the bill, arguing that it is too expensive and would violate personal rights by compelling people to buy health insurance. The House of Representatives approved its initial version of the legislation in November. Last week, Idaho Governor CL “Butch” Otter (R) became the first governor to sign a bill into state law banning any federal mandate for individuals to have health insurance. The Idaho Health Freedom Act orders the state attorney general to file a lawsuit against the national government over any law making health insurance mandatory. Two weeks ago, the Virginia General Assembly passed a similar bill. The bill, called the Virginia Health Care Freedom Act, says that no individual shall be held liable if they refuse to sign up for health care. Governor Robert McDonnell (R) has said that he will sign the bill into law. About 30 other states are working on similar measures to negate the federal mandate for health insurance.