Senator Reid Carries Historic Health Reform Bill Across Finish Line

"Candle of Hope" legislation passed early morning Christmas Eve.

Democrats in the United States Senate have passed the first major health care reform bill since the 1960s. The bill would extend health care coverage to an additional 31 million Americans who are currently without coverage. Not a single Republican voted for the measure, which passed 60 to 39.

Despite months of Republican opposition to extending health care coverage to poor and disadvantaged Americans, Democrats united around a compromise, moderate measure that will bend the health care cost curve and make health care more affordable to all Americans by reducing the use of hospital emergency rooms for day-to-day treatments.

House and Senate versions of the bill must now be reconciled and President Obama is expected to sign the bill by as early as late January.

The passage of the bill represents a major victory for Democrats and President Obama, who campaigned on the promise of major changes to health insurance to bring down the costs and ensure that Americans do not lose their health care coverage because they lose their jobs. With unemployment in double-digits as a result of the policies of George W. Bush and the Republican Congress, the promise of "portable health care" is of paramount importance to the American people.

After the historic vote, Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn) remarked, "I cannot think of a better gift that we can give to Americans than lifting the burden of health care costs."

According to Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), it is expected that after Americans learn more about the health care bill passed today, its popularity will soar.