WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats cleared the last 60-vote hurdle on President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul on Wednesday, virtually ensuring final passage of its version of the biggest health policy changes in four decades.
For a third straight day, Democrats mustered the 60 party-line votes needed to keep the healthcare bill on track for passage on Thursday over unified Republican opposition.
The vote on final approval, which requires a simple majority in the 100-member Senate, is slated for 7 a.m. EST on Christmas Eve on Thursday.
Passage in the Senate would set up potentially tough negotiations in January to iron out differences with the House of Representatives, which approved its own version on November 7.
"It's been a long, hard road for all of us," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid told reporters. "We stand a few short steps from the most significant finish line we've had in Congress for many decades."
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