The US Senate approved President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul today, backing sweeping changes in the medical insurance market and new coverage for tens of millions of uninsured Americans.
The US Senate approved President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul today, backing sweeping changes in the medical insurance market and new coverage for tens of millions of uninsured Americans.
On a party-line 60-39 vote, Senate Democrats supported the most dramatic shifts in health policy in four decades.
The early-morning Christmas Eve vote followed months of political wrangling that consumed the US Congress and put a dent in Obama's public approval ratings.
"This is a victory for the American people," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid told reporters afterward.
The vote clears the way for tough negotiations in January with the House of Representatives, which approved its own version on November 7th that features different approaches on taxes, abortion and a proposed new government-run insurance program.
Once House-Senate negotiators agree on a single bill, each chamber must approve it again before sending it to Mr Obama to sign into law. Democrats hope to finish work before Obama's State of the Union address in late January.
"This fight is long from over," Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said. "My colleagues and I will work to stop this bill from becoming law."
The Christmas Eve Senate session - the first since 1895 - fulfilled a pledge by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid to pass the bill before Christmas. Republican opponents delayed the final vote to the last day possible under Senate rules, but agreed to an early-morning vote to let people head home.
Senators called out their votes from their desk in a formal roll-call. Reid, who had been working around the clock for four weeks, mistakenly voted "no" when his name was first called before voting for the bill, prompting a roar of laughter in the chamber.
"This is for my friend Ted Kennedy," 92-year-old Democratic Senator Robert Byrd said as he voted "yes." Mr Kennedy, who championed healthcare reform during his long Senate career, died in August of brain cancer.
The overhaul, Mr Obama's top legislative priority, would lead to the biggest changes in the $2.5 trillion US healthcare system since the 1965 creation of the government-run Medicare health program for the elderly and disabled.
The bill would extend health coverage to more than 30 million uninsured, covering 94 per cent of all Americans, and halt industry practices such as refusing insurance to people with pre-existing medical conditions.
Reuters