Democrats send Obama final health measure

Congressional Democrats have sent the final piece of landmark health care legislation to President Barack Obama, the last legislative chapter in the wrenching national debate over how to overhaul America's health care system.

The House of Representatives on Thursday night approved - for the second time - a package of fixes to the sweeping bill Obama signed two days before. The measure includes better benefits for seniors and low-income and middle-class families.

Thursday's vote was 220-207, as majority Democrats prevailed despite 32 defections, and no Republican support. The same bill had passed the Senate earlier in the day 56-43, with all voting Republicans and three Democrats voting "no."

Obama was expected to sign the measure early next week.

Lawmakers were heading home for a spring recess to face a skeptical - and sometimes even threatening - electorate. The health care reform also promises to be a key issue in November congressional elections.

Obama has taken to the road to promote the health care reform, in part to help his party's chances of holding onto its majority in both chambers of Congress.

"We made a promise. That promise has been kept," Obama told a crowd in the Midwestern state of Iowa on Thursday.

"From this day forward, all of the cynics, all the naysayers - they're going to have to confront the reality of what this reform is and what it isn't," the president said. "They'll have to finally acknowledge this isn't a government takeover of our health care system."