Barack Obama Hails 'Historic' Passage of Senate Health Care Bill 2009, With the US Senate passing on Thursday its version of legislation to overhaul the US healthcare system, President Barack Obama said supporters were "incredibly close" to enacting the reform package into law.
Barack Obama Hails 'Historic' Passage of Senate Health Care Bill 2009
"We are now finally poised to deliver on the promise of real, meaningful health insurance reform," Obama told reporters. "With today's vote, we are now incredibly close to making health insurance reform a reality in this country."
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.
The vote clears the way for tough negotiations in January with the House of Representatives, which approved its own version on November 7 that features different approaches on taxes, abortion and a proposed new government-run insurance program.
"With passage of reform bills in both the House and the Senate we are now finally poised to deliver on the promise of real, meaningful health insurance reform," Obama said at the White House after the vote. "Our challenge then is to finish the job," he said. "For the sake of our citizens, our economy, and our future, let's make 2010 the year we finally reform health care in the United States of America."
Once House-Senate negotiators agree on a single bill, each chamber must approve it again before sending it to Obama to sign into law. Republicans promised to continue the battle.
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