This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/8425284.stm
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Obama hails heath vote 'victory' | Obama hails heath vote 'victory' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| US President Barack Obama has hailed the Senate's healthcare vote as a "big victory for the American people". | US President Barack Obama has hailed the Senate's healthcare vote as a "big victory for the American people". |
| Senators voted in the early hours of Monday to end debate on a compromise bill, putting the legislation on course to face a final vote on Christmas Eve. | Senators voted in the early hours of Monday to end debate on a compromise bill, putting the legislation on course to face a final vote on Christmas Eve. |
| President Obama has set health reform as a key plank of his first term. | President Obama has set health reform as a key plank of his first term. |
| The legislation, which aims to cover 31 million uninsured Americans, could lead to the biggest change in US healthcare in decades, if approved. | |
| "The United States Senate knocked down a filibuster aimed at blocking a final vote on healthcare reform and scored a big victory for the American people," Mr Obama said. | |
| Acrimonious debate | |
| He said the Senate showed it could "stand up to the special interests" and move the nation closer to a health insurance overhaul for the country as a whole. | |
| He said the bill would reduce the deficit in the long term, countering Republican criticism that the legislation is too expensive. | |
| After a long, often acrimonious debate Senators voted 60 to 40 along party lines to end debate on the bill at 0100 (0600 GMT) on Monday. | |
| Three further votes are scheduled this week on the issue before the final Senate vote on Christmas Eve. | |
| Under the Senate bill, most Americans would have to have health insurance. | |
| Private insurers would be banned from refusing to provide insurance because applicants had pre-existing medical conditions. | |
| If passed, the Senate bill would have to be reconciled with a more expansive one passed last month by the House of Representatives. | |
| Key differences in the House version include a government-run health insurance plan, or public option, and how to pay for the reform. |