Democrats near historic Health Bill victory

The House of Representatives approved by 224 "yes" against 206 "no" votes, the rules of procedure for the debate on the health Care legislation in the United States, which will precede an historic vote.

The vote to approve the rules, with which the debate on the landmark health reform will take place, is an initiative in which the administration of President Barack Obama throws much of his political capital and has become his signature domestic issue.

The "yes" to the rules represents a first victory for health care reform, not only because the Republicans could propose changes that could create successive delays on the most important vote, but also because it indicates the direction of votes for the Democrats.

Democrats claim to have the 216 votes needed for final passage after they won the support of a few anti-abortion holdouts, who got a promise that Obama would issue an order reaffirming a ban on using federal funds for abortion.

The bill is expected to cost $940 billion over the next 10 years. The Democrats are expected to get 216 votes, giving them a substantial and historic victory

If the bill passes it means that Americans would be required to purchase insurance for the first time, or they could face penalties if they refuse it. A lot of the money in the proposed bill would be go to help subsidize families with incomes of up to $88,000 a year.

The bill would also add a significant expansion of Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor. Coverage would be required for people with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $29,327 a year for a family of four. Childless adults would be covered for the first time, beginning in 2014