All 58 Democrats and two independents voted for the bill, while all the 40 Republicans voted against it. The House of Representatives has already passed the bill.
US president Barack Obama's landmark healthcare reform bill cleared a major hurdle as the US Senate today voted 60-40 to advance a massive $871 billion bill to extend coverage to nearly all Americans and tighten regulations on private insurers.
Though the vote marked just the first of the several procedural votes on the issue, before the final voting is done on the Christmas eve, but the tally of 60-40 reflected that the goal of the US President to get the bill cleared through the Congress vote before the Christmas now seems to be a reality.
"Today, the Senate took another historic step towards our goal of delivering access to quality, affordable health care to all Americans," senate majority leader, Harry Reid, said soon after the senate voted 60-40 on his manager's amendment to the bill.
All 58 Democrats and two independents voted for the bill, while all the 40 Republicans voted against it. The House of Representatives has already passed the bill.
Since there is differences between the two bills, the two versions would have to be reconciled once the Senate passes the bill on Christmas eve.
"Our manager's amendment makes a good bill even better. The CBO has confirmed that with the revisions we've made to our bill cuts the deficit by USD 132 billion dollars in the next ten years, while providing health care to an additional 31 million Americans," Reid said.
"This amendment also helps to promote choice and competition to drive down skyrocketing health care costs for families in Nevada and all across America," he said.
The senate majority leader said senate democrats are determined to not let the American people down because they know the cost of inaction.
"Almost 8,000 Americans lose their health insurance every day that we do not act. That's why I've been so disappointed with the 'do nothing, say anything' approach that most Senate Republicans have decided to take toward health reform."
"Despite their decision to bet on failure, Senate Democrats are committed to passing health legislation this week that will deliver quality, affordable health coverage for all Americans," Reid said.
"This landmark legislation protects America's youngest citizens by making it illegal for insurance companies to refuse to cover a child because of a pre-existing condition," he said earlier speaking on the floor of the Senate.
"And it protects America's oldest citizens by strengthening Medicare and extending its life by nearly a decade. We're also taking the first steps to close the notorious loophole known as the 'doughnut hole' that costs seniors thousands of dollars for prescription drugs," he argued.
The US is the only wealthy industrialised nation that does not have universal coverage. Health insurance in the US is provided primarily by employers, but the ranks of the uninsured have been growing due to job losses in the recent recession.
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