In the East Room of the White House late this morning, members of Congress and other advocates (including the Director and Associate Director of the RAC, Rabbi David Saperstein and Mark Pelavin!) assembled to hear remarks from President Obama and Vice President Biden and observe the long-awaited signing of the health insurance reform bill, passed late Sunday evening by the House of Representatives.
(Photo from whitehouse.gov)
“Today,” Obama stated, “after almost a century of trying; today, after over a year of debate; today, after all the votes have been tallied – health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America.” You can read President Obama’s remarks at the signing here.
Now that the House has passed the Senate version of reform legislation and an additional bill which includes various improvements to the legislation, that “reconciliation bill” must now be sent to the Senate for debate and passage.
Mark Pelavin and Rabbi Saperstein took these photos on their cell phones amidst the excitement!
Contact your Senators now to ensure this package of fixes is passed, and increased access to more affordable health insurance access can be a reality for millions of Americans.
Above: Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the RAC, poses with former Senator Harris Wofford at yesterday’s signing celebrations; RAC Associate Director Mark Pelavin chats with Tina Tchen, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement; David chats with Rep. John Dingell; Mark poses with Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin as they wait for President Obama to arrive