But don't ask how much it costs

摘要

"When history calls, history calls." So said Senator Olympia Snowe on October 13th just before casting her much fought-over vote in favour of a long-awaited health bill in the Senate's Finance Committee. This week's committee vote was, save for Ms Snowe's ballot, strictly on party lines: 13 Democrats in favour and 9 Republicans against. It was a closer run battle than that tally suggests, as several Democrats wavered until the last moment, angry that the proposal does not create a government-run insurer, or "public plan".