WASHINGTON – The Senate passed a sweeping healthcare reform bill on the day before Christmas, making an overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system just one vote away from reality.

The $871 billion bill, passed on party lines by a 60-to-39 tally, will have to be reconciled with the House bill, passed Nov. 7, before going to a full vote by Congress.

White House officials have said President Barack Obama hopes to have the bill on his desk before his State of the Union speech in late January, though some have said that deadline will be difficult for Congress.

The Senate bill – some 2,000 pages long – is expected to expand coverage to 31 million Americans. It includes last-minute amendments that were added as Senate leaders scrambled to cut deals and carve out measures to garner the votes needed to prevent a Republican filibuster.

The bill holds several obstacles that observers expect will be difficult to resolve in conference, including the use of federal funding for abortion, a public health option and the price tag.

The House and Senate bills agree on a number of measures.

Both mandate that all Americans buy insurance or face fines, call for subsidies for low-income families to buy insurance, limit out-of-pocket expenses and prevent insurance companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

Both would expand Medicaid coverage to include more poverty-level Americans and create health insurance exchanges where uninsured Americans and small companies could buy health insurance at competitive prices.
Senate leaders have been criticized for watering down the bill to gain votes, including eliminating a public healthcare option. House leaders have said they will not compromise on issues such as the public option, but more recently have softened that stance.