Unusual Christmas Eve vote symbolic in ongoing debate
WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats passed a landmark health care bill early Thursday morning that could define President Barack Obama’s legacy and usher in near-universal medical coverage for the first time in U.S. history.
Ahead lie complex talks with the House to reach final legislation in the new year.
Just before the vote Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said “We stand on the doorstep of history. We recognize that, but much more importantly, we stand so close to making so many individual lives better.”
The vote Thursday on the bill extending health care coverage to some 31 million uninsured Americans brings Obama’s closer to achieving his top domestic priority. The White House and Congress have now come farther toward the goal of a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. health care system than any of their predecessors.