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Health bill clears US Senate hurdle
22 Nov 2009- Cameron urges voters to keep Union
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Sweeping health care legislation has cleared its first hurdle in the US Senate on a party-line vote.
The 60-39 vote paves the way for a historic debate on the legislation after Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday.
The measure is designed to extend health cover to an estimated 31 million Americans and to crack down on insurance industry practices that deny benefits.
The vote came in a rare Saturday session in the Senate.
Democrats posted 60 votes in a Senate showdown, precisely the number needed to overcome Republican delaying tactics.
The vote was a major victory for Senate majority leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, and also the White House in a year-end drive to enact the most sweeping changes to the nation's health care system in a half-century or more.
