Of the 40 Republican senators, 39 voted against and one did not vote. The vote was on whether to open the debate and under 60 votes, the debate will go ahead in the upper chamber. This does not however prejudge the outcome of discussions. Before becoming reality, the reform of health insurance will still go through several votes. The marathon legislative resume after the Thanksgiving holiday to be celebrated next Thursday the United States.

Just vote Saturday night, the majority leader Democrat Harry Reid accused Republicans of wanting to deprive the country of a necessary historical debate. "Imagine if, instead of debating the abolition of slavery, instead of debating voting rights of women and minorities, those who opposed it had silenced the debate and prevented any vote," Did he said.

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, leader of the opposition in the upper house, has again said that this reform would raise taxes and cause "massive deficit and unsustainable".

The text provides for extending health insurance to some 30 million Americans who do not currently taxing insurers and richer. Insurers could no longer refuse to cover people with medical history or exclude policyholders who get sick.

The Democrats have this reform as a historic step and necessary, the United States being the only major developed nation that does not provide health coverage to its entire population. Most employees are insured through their employer, but 50 of the 300 million Americans lack health insurance.

For the vote on Saturday evening, the public galleries were full. The mood was solemn, even if the outcome of the vote had decided a few hours earlier, when two recalcitrant Democratic Senators Mary Landrieu and Blanche Lincoln, had indicated they would give the green light to open the debate. Both stressed that this does not commit their vote on the final text.

Senate Democrats elected in conservative states will be in trouble to get back at the elections office in mid-2010. To reassure their electoral base, they would receive assurances that federal funds will not finance abortions. They are also a bad eye a possible competition between the State and private insurers.

The House of Representatives passed its own version of the reform of health insurance this month on a close vote of 220 votes for and 215 against. Harry Reid wants the Senate adopts its own text by the end of the year. If so, then the Congress will work to merge the two versions.