In a historic vote of 60 yeas to 39 nays the Senate passed a far-reaching health-care reform bill that would extend health insurance to more than 30 million Americans. The vote came shortly after 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve. The House passed its bill in early November. After the Senate vote, President Obama said health-care reform would be the most important social reform since Social Security in the 1930s, and the most important medical reform since the creation of Medicare in the 1960s. In a moment of levity, and perhaps exhaustion, Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-Nev) accidentally voted against the bill that has been his top priority for months. The Senator brought his hands to his head and then quickly changed his vote to yes. Senators could be seen sharing congratulatory hugs in the aftermath of the vote. But the work in Congress is not done yet. The two bills will now go to a conference committee, where negotiators from each house of Congress will merge them into a single bill. Then they’ll have to vote again. “The bill lays the groundwork for an enormous number of ways to save money and save lives in the future. It extends the life of Medicare and helps protect every insured American family from catastrophic, out-of-pocket costs. We look forward to working with policymakers as the final proposal takes shape,” said DeAnn Friedholm, director of Consumer Union’s health reform campaign.