Close vote expected on US healthcare bill

Healthcare is once again top of the political agenda in the United States and the controversial bill which would provide insurance to over 30 million Americans who currently lack it. A sweeping overhaul to the proposed legislation has been finalised and congress is set to vote.

President Obama outlined what he believes is a strong financial argument for the bill.

“This morning a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office confirms that the reform we seek would bring $1.3 trillion dollars in deficit reduction over the next two decades. That makes this legislation the most significant effort to reduce deficits since the balanced budget act in the 1990s,” he said.

In Congress the healthcare bill has faced solid Republican opposition and the vote on Sunday is expected to be close.

Indonesia had been preparing for an official visit from President Obama. He postponed the trip including one to his former school as he remains at home to drum up support for what is his top legislative priority and the biggest change in the US healthcare system since the 1960s.

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Tags: Barack Obama, Health reform, USA