By Arun Kumar
Washington, Dec 24 (IANS) As the Senate passed a historic $871 billion health care reform bill Thursday, President Barack Obama said the vote, seen as a Christmas Eve victory on his top domestic priority, had brought a goal that has eluded several presidents “incredibly close to reality.”

The Senate passage of the health care bill means the nation is near the “end of a nearly century-long struggle to reform America’s health care system,” he said in nationally televised remarks from the White House shortly after the 7 a.m. vote.

Vice President Joe Biden presided over the 60-39, party-line vote on the landmark health-care bill that would provide coverage to more than 30 million people and begin a far-reaching overhaul of Medicare and the private insurance market.

On the Democratic side of the chamber, lawmakers were exuberant as Thursday’s early morning votes were cast. Laughter erupted when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appeared to mistakenly vote no, then quickly switched to aye.

“This is a victory for the American people,” Reid told reporters afterward.

Democrat Senator Robert C. Byrd, who is 92 and ailing, bellowed when his name was called, “Mr. President, this is for my friend Ted Kennedy. Aye.”

Byrd, who arrived in a wheelchair for multiple late-night and pre-dawn votes over the last week, was paying tribute to the late Massachusetts senator, who championed health care reform until he died of brain cancer earlier this year.

Kennedy’s widow, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, came to the Capitol to witness the unusual Dec 24 vote. Also seated in the visitors gallery was Democratic Representative John Dingell, the longest serving member of the House and a champion of health-care reform. After the vote, Dingell said of the Senate victory, “This is the end of a long, hard and necessary journey.”

But Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to wage an even tougher battle when Congress returns in January and Democrats attempt to merge the House and Senate bills. “This fight is not over. This fight is long from over,” McConnell said. “My colleagues and I will work to stop this bill from becoming law.”

The Christmas Eve Senate session-the first since 1895 — fulfilled a pledge by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid to pass the bill before Christmas.

Republican opponents delayed the final vote to the last day possible under Senate rules, but agreed to an early-morning vote to let people head home.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)