House Democrats were thrilled by the passage of their major health care legislation, but perhaps no development on Nov. 7 tickled them more than winning the vote of a single Republican: Representative Anh “Joseph” Cao of Louisiana. Rep. Cao, a freshman from New Orleans, was elected last year in an upset victory over a Democrat who was under indictment on federal corruption charges at the time and has since been convicted, reports the New York Times. Rep. Cao said that tougher restrictions on insurance coverage for abortions encouraged him to support the bill. “Tonight, I voted to keep taxpayer dollars from funding abortion and to deliver access to affordable health care to the people of Louisiana,” Cao said. He said that he had secured a personal commitment from President Obama on health issues important to Louisiana, including disparities in federal reimbursement rates for Medicaid.
