US Senate Democrats passed a landmark health care bill on Thursday. The reforms will introduce near-universal health coverage for the first time in US history. A move that could define Barack Obama's presidency.
US President Barack Obama praised the Senate for passing a sweeping overhaul of the nation's healthcare system, and called on Congress to finish the job.
Barack Obama, US President, said, "With today's vote, we are now incredibly close to making health insurance reform a reality in this country. Our challenge then, is to finish the job. We can't doom another generation of Americans to soaring costs and eroding coverage and exploding deficits. Instead, we need to do what we were sent here to do and improve the lives of the people we serve. 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."
Senate Democrats mustered the 60 party-line votes needed to pass the bill.
Lawmakers are now expected to face tough negotiations in January, to iron out differences with the House of Representatives. It approved its own version of the Bill on November 7th.
Barack Obama, US President, said, "As I have said before these are not small reforms, these are big reforms. If passed this will be the most important piece of social legislation since the Social Security Act passed in the 1930s and the most important reform of our health care system since Medicare passed in the 1960s."
The bill aims to extend medical insurance to more than 30 million Americans giving coverage to 94 percent of the entire population.
Democrats hope to send the bill to Obama before his State of the Union message in late January.