US News

Health plan adds billions in fees, taxes

President Obama says his health-care overhaul — which squeaked through the House last night — won’t hurt a bit, but taxpayers are going to feel it in their wallet.

The $1.2 trillion plan, which passed by a razor-thin 220 to 215, imposes new tax surcharges on Americans who fail to buy insurance as well as businesses that don’t provide coverage to their employees.

One Republican joined 219 Democrats in voting for the measure in the super-tight vote — just barely more than the 218 members required to pass it.

The legislation, which features a government-run insurance option for people who don’t get insurance through work, expands coverage to almost all people under the age of 65 and bans insurance companies from dropping customers because of a pre-existing condition.

Democrats cleared a major hurdle to passing the legislation Friday night when they conceded to the demands of pro-choice members to add a provision to the bill banning federal funding for abortions.

Obama, who has made the bill one of the centerpieces of his presidency, lauded the landmark achievement, which has eluded Democratic administrations since Harry Truman.

“In an historic vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would finally make real the promise of quality, affordable health care for the American people,” he said in a statement.

But before the bill can become law, the Senate has to pass its version and the full Congress has to vote on a compromise.

The House chamber looked more like a college basketball arena than government building around 11 p.m., with Democrats exploding into a raucous cheer when they reached the 218 yea votes needed for passage.

They then counted down the final 10 seconds of voting in unison like it was New Year’s Eve.

But the Republicans had their fun as well — waving a mocking goodbye to their counterparts and chanting “Na na na, hey hey, goodbye” — suggesting the legislation would lead to electoral defeat.

Earlier, the House defeated the GOP’s health-reform proposal along mostly party lines.

While 39 Democrats broke party ranks to oppose their party’s bill, they managed to snag the last-minute support of Rep. Joseph Cao from Louisiana — the sole Republican to back the legislation.

Three New York Dems opposed the bill — Michael McMahon of Staten Island, Eric Massa, whose district includes Rochester, and Scott Murphy, who represents Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s former seat in the Hudson Valley region.

A jubilant Speaker Nancy Pelosi compared the legislation to other historic Democratic programs from the past like Social Security and Medicare.

“What a night,” she said.