On November 7, 2009, Kucinich voted with 38 other Democrats (mostly Blue Dogs) and 176 Republicans against the Affordable Healthcare for America Act because he believed the bill "incentivizes the perpetuation, indeed the strengthening, of the for-profit health insurance industry, the very source of the problem."[36] In his press release for why he voted as he had, Kucinich continues, "In H.R. 3962, the government is requiring at least 21 million Americans to buy private health insurance from the very industry that causes costs to be so high, which will result in at least $70 billion in new annual revenue, much of which is coming from taxpayers. This inevitably will lead to even more costs, more subsidies, and higher profits for insurance companies — a bailout under a blue cross.... The 'robust public option' which would have offered a modicum of competition to a monopolistic industry was whittled down from an initial potential enrollment of 129 million Americans to 6 million. An amendment which would have protected the rights of states to pursue single-payer health care was stripped from the bill at the request of the Administration.... America will someday come to recognize the broad social and economic benefits of a not-for-profit, single-payer health care system, which is good for the American people and good for America’s businesses, with of course the notable exceptions being insurance and pharmaceuticals.”[36] Unlike many, if not all, of his fellow democrats who voted against the bill, Kucinich has not been the target of scorn from liberal media outlets, but has instead been well received as being a man of conviction to his goal of a single-payer system.[37] When the bill comes out of conference committee, Kucinich will have the opportunity to vote for final passage of the bill, or vote 'no' as he previously had. The bill has been differed from conference committee due to a perceived time constraint, so the House and Senate are now playing political ping-pong to create the final bill.[38] However, he changed his vote to a yes in March 2010.[39]
