(Washington, DC)  --  President Obama still hopes to sign a sweeping health care reform bill by year's end.
   So said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs in his daily briefing.

   Gibbs said millions of uninsured and under-insured Americans are counting on Congress to pass meaningful health insurance reform.

   The House passed a sweeping reform bill over the weekend and the focus has shifted to the Senate.

   The Senate and House are both controlled by Democrats and health care reform is President Obama's top legislative priority.

   However, the issue faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, which is more moderate than the House.
   Things also tend to move much more slowly in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to move key issues forward.

   Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell warned the House health insurance reform bill is a non-starter in the Senate.

   He said Americans don't want a "two thousand page, trillion dollar government experiment in health care."  McConnell called for "common sense reforms that increase access and lower costs."


   (Copyright 2009 by VERTEXNews/Newsroom Solutions)