House passes first hurdle in health care

Terms of the debate are set soon after the President's visit to the Hill

updated 9 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's health care initiative has cleared its first big hurdle in the House, with lawmakers voting to advance the debate.

The House voted 242-192 in favor of a must-pass procedural measure setting the terms for the debate. All 177 Republicans voted to block the debate.

With Obama urging them on in a rare personal visit to Capitol Hill, Democrats pushed toward a final vote late Saturday on the bill, which would reshape the U.S. health care system and extend coverage to millions of the uninsured.

Obama said now is the time for Congress to "answer the call of history" and approve the legislation.

After meeting for nearly an hour with House Democrats, Obama went to the White House Rose Garden and said opportunities like passing a major health overhaul "come around maybe once in a generation."

Earlier Saturday, after emerging from a closed-door meeting with the president, Speaker Nancy Pelosi predicted passage of the bill later in the day, adding, “We will pass health care reform.â€