WASHINGTON, November 22 (RIA Novosti) - The U.S. Senate has voted to hold a full-scale debate on Barack Obama's overhaul health care reform bill, moving forward the president's top domestic initiative.
The motion was passed 60 votes to 39, after Democrats unanimously gave their backing. Two independent senators were also in favour.
"Tonight's historic vote brings us one step closer to ending insurance company abuses, reining in spiralling healthcare costs, providing stability and security to those with health insurance and extending quality health coverage to those who lack it," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement.
He said Obama was gratified by the vote and "looks forward to a thorough and productive debate".
The debate is scheduled to start on November 30 and is expected to last for at least three weeks.
At the moment, about 47 million people, or one sixth of the U.S. population, have no medical insurance.
The bill, if passed, will oblige all Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a fine, while the majority of employers, with the exemption of some small businesses, would have to provide insurance coverage to their staff. It would also bar companies from refusing medical insurance to people with the so-called pre-existing conditions or to charge more from people with unfavorable medical record.
The draft, seen as a major overhaul of healthcare system in decades, would also enable the government to sell insurance in competition with private firms.
The reform has been criticized for its costs of some $900 billion in the next decade. Obama, however, says it would have no negative impact on the country's economy.
