Washington – Saturday, all of America waited to learn the future of American health care. The House voted to approve the new sweeping health care bill. The final tally stood at 220-215, with 39 Democrats opposing and 1 Republican in favor of the new bill. The bill has been called the biggest expansion of health care coverage since Medicare.

The new bill would provide health coverage to almost every American, but at a seemingly steep cost. In fact, almost $1 Trillion of the bill is funded through reallocation; thus, the new bill will not introduce new taxes. Despite this, many political minds believe that the cost is too high.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act prevents insurance companies from denying coverage to pre-existing conditions, as well as restricting premiums based on medical history or gender. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, it will guarantee coverage for 96 percent of Americans.

President Barack Obama was quick to praise the bill, saying that it would “make real the promise of quality affordable health care for the American people.” However, Republicans were quick to condemn the bill. “This is perhaps the worst bill I have seen come to the floor in my 11 years in Congress,” said Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan. The tension between the Democrats and Republicans are but one of he many obstacles that the bill must overcome before being signed into law.

For one, the Senate must pass its own version of a health care bill which, by many counts, is unlikely to happen before the end of the year. After both the House and the Senate have passed a bill, a committee will work to merge the two bills into one version which will require final approval from the House, Senate, and the President.

Many politicians are angry about government-run health insurance in the future, despite the public option provision.

Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican Nation Committee, released a statement showing his distrust of the bill.

“Nancy Pelosi and her liberal lieutenants made a lot of promises today to get the votes they desperately needed,” he said. “Make no mistake — the Democrat leadership’s assurances were based on political expediency, not principle. Anyone receiving a promise from Pelosi is guaranteed to be disappointed in the end when their votes are no longer needed.”

At the end of the day, there is still a lot of work to be done before the bill is into law. The promise of nearly universal health care, however, creates hope that many Americans have lost — to have a health care system that has been promised to them for almost a century.