Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to repeal the antitrust exemption currently granted to health insurance companies . The vote was 406-19 to repeal the exemption , which has been in place since the end of World War II . The 19 who voted against the repeal are Republicans . Liberal Democrats have said a repeal would help inject competition into the health care industry while reducing consumer costs . White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Tuesday that President Obama strongly supports the repeal . `` At its core , health reform is all about ensuring that American families and businesses have more choices , benefit from more competition and have greater control over their own health care , '' Gibbs said . Read the bill `` Repealing this exemption is an important part of that effort . Gibbs said the president is not seeking repeal of the exemption in lieu of broader changes to the insurance market . `` This is a complementary step along the way , '' he said . The debate in the House on Wednesday included a colorful moment between Rep. Anthony Weiner , D-New York , and Republicans . `` You guys have chutzpah , '' Weiner told Republicans during the debate . `` The Republican Party is a wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry , '' he said , drawing the objections of Republicans , who asked that his words be stricken from the record . Weiner then asked for unanimous consent to replace his words and said , `` Every single Republican I have ever met in my entire life is a wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry . '' The Republicans objected again , prompting Weiner to rescind his words . The House version of the health care bill passed last year would have removed the antitrust exemption , while the Senate 's version would not . Advocates of an exemption repeal say the exemption has allowed health insurance companies to essentially divide the country into geographic zones . They argue the companies benefit from what amounts to local monopolies . Industry defenders , in turn , point out that insurers are still subject to state regulations . They say the impact of an exemption repeal is overblown . CNN Fact Check : Would exemption repeal lower premiums ? Administration officials and their allies in Congress have taken an increasingly tough stance against the unpopular insurance industry . Among other things , Obama 's latest proposal for health care reform would give the federal government new authority to block excessive rate increases by health insurers . Specifically , Obama 's plan calls for the secretary of health and human services to work with a seven-member board made up of doctors , economists and consumer and insurance representatives to review premium increases . The board , to be known as the Health Insurance Rate Authority , would provide an annual report to recommend to states whether certain rate increases should be approved , although the secretary could overrule state insurance regulators .