Barack Obama's health bill passes 1st test

US President Barack Obama's landmark health care bill is one step closer to becoming law. On Monday, the 100-member US Senate voted 60-40 along party lines to end debate on the bill.

In a middle-of-the-night vote, Democrats unanimously backed the first in a series of three procedural motions to cut off debate. Their victory also sends the bill to a final vote by Christmas Eve. Monday's vote was the first test of whether Democrats will be able to secure the 60 votes needed to overcome unified Republican opposition and muscle health care reform through the Senate.

If enacted, the bill will inaugurate the most sweeping changes in the 2.5-billion dollar US health care system since the 1965 creation of the Medicare health program for the elderly.