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Major Health Vote Ahead, Area Reps Already Decided

Kansas City, MO – A major vote on a health care bill is scheduled this weekend in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congressman Sam Graves, a Republican from Trenton Missouri, says he thinks the vote will be mighty close...but that the bill will likely fail. He says it's too costly, and that it's essentially the same legislation that sparked so much public outrage over the summer.

"It really hasn't changed," Graves said. "It's full of mandates, it's full of new taxes, and new regulation. I mentioned the cost, it's back over a trillion dollars."

Top House Democrats are still working to secure enough support for the bill, even among some in their own party, but both area Congressmen Dennis Moore and Emanuel Cleaver say they're voting for it.

In a recent statement, Moore said the legislation's fiscally responsible, ensures coverage for most Americans, and ends abusive practices by some in the insurance industry.

Cleaver issued an announcement earlier this afternoon about the bill. He said he doesn't think it's perfect, but that it represents the best legislation possible at this time, expanding health insurance to some 36 million Americans, many of whom live in Missouri.

Funding for health care coverage on KCUR has been provided by the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City.

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