Key support for Senate healthcare bill to be voted out this week

Xinhua Beijing, December 22, according to the Hong Kong "to the Gazette" comprehensive foreign reports, U.S. President Barack Obama's health care reform Bill, Monday (21st) to obtain a major breakthrough.　　The U.S. Senate, by 60 votes to 40 votes to pass a procedural motion, so that the health care bill does not need to be debated, can be directly in ten mid-spring 24th to the Senate to complete the final vote. The atmosphere before the vote was tense and partisan, but the results were as expected.　　After hours of rhetoric, the Senate voted one o'clock in the morning, with all 58 Democrats and two independent allies of the Democratic Party voting to win 60 votes, which is exactly the number of votes needed to end the debate on the bill.　　All 40 Republican senators voted against it, admitting they were powerless to stop the sweeping bill, but warned that Democrats would pay the price in the mid-term elections next November. Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell at the last minute called on Democrats to stand up against the bill. "It is still not too late," he said. All we need is a Democrat to stand up against it. One can stop the bill. "He also criticized Obama:" a president elected because of promises of change has vowed to lower (Medicare) insurance premiums. Then it changed. He said he would not raise taxes. Then it changed. He said he would reduce the cost of (health insurance). Then it changed. He said he would not cut federal health insurance benefits. Then it changed. "The senators will need to make two more procedural ballots and then hold the final vote in Thursday," he said.　　If passed, it would be the most radical health-care reform bill that has been passed in 40 years. After the passage, the Senate and the House of Representatives will need to start a tough negotiation to reach a compromise version and then send it to Obama for signature.　　The House of Representatives passed its own version on November 7.　　Democratic leaders hope the bill will be signed before Obama's State of the Union address next January or early mid-spring. The bill will impose strict restrictions on federal funding for abortion, which is expected to spark a verbal rhetoric within the Democratic Party.　　In addition, the Senate decided to scrap a "public option" supported by the Government aimed at competing with private insurers, which is expected to cause controversy within the Democratic Party. One of Mr Obama's goals is to limit the budget to $900 billion trillion so as not to deepen the fiscal deficit. Democratic lawmakers say the Senate Health care bill meets this requirement.