House passes Senate Health Care Bill, 219-212

House passes Senate Health Care Bill, 219-212

President Obama: "It was the right vote"

The House has passed both the Senate health care legislation and the reconciliation bill. The reconciliation bill now goes to the Senate for debate and the passed Senate bill heads to President Obama for his signature.

House passes Senate Health Care Bill, 219-212. The President is expected to sign the Health Care Bill within three days following other procedural votes. The biggest hurdle was the House vote that just passed.

The President spoke immediately after the House passage of the Senate Bill "complimenting all of Congress for their steadfastness and patience during this long debate. "We proved that this government -- a government of the people and by the people -- still works for the people. I want to thank every member of Congress who stood up tonight with courage and conviction to make health care reform a reality. And I know this wasn’t an easy vote for a lot of people. But it was the right vote."

Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Ca) stated that "affordable Health Care is now here. It is an All-American act. 32 million Americans will now have access to Health Care." Pelosi thanked the President and the Democratic wing of the House.

Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives Rep. Steny Hoyer (Md.) reminised about the passage of Medicare while a law student at Georgetown University. Rep. Hoyer considered the passage of the Health Care Bill "as great a moment as the passage of Medicare by President Lyndon Johnson. Hoyer complimented Pelosi for her courage on behalf of the American people.

Majority House Whip Jim Clyburn (SC) was thankful and also complimentary of Pelosi as a tactician and for her leadership. Rep. Clyburn called the Health Care Bill "the Civil Rights issue of the 21st Century".