TIMES ONLINE: The US health reform Bill was signed into law by President Obama today in a momentous - and momentarily profane - White House ceremony.
Using a rack of 22 pens that will each become cherished souvenirs, Mr Obama signed a measure that ends America’s longstanding distinction as the only advanced economy to lack basic healthcare coverage for all.
The legislation brings into effect immediate changes to the rules governing American health insurers, but also injected new urgency into Republican efforts to repeal the Bill or defeat it in the country’s courts.
The President welcomed “a new season in America” after “a century of trying and a year of debate” – and said he looked forward to a political season when the heated rhetoric of that debate would “confront the reality of reform”.
Moments earlier, after Joe Biden, the Vice President, introduced Mr Obama in the East Room of the White House, he leaned in to give his boss a hug and was caught by a microphone saying in the President's ear: “This is a big f***ing deal”. >>> Giles Whittell, Washington | Tuesday, March 23, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: It was the memorable sound bite they did not dare script. The Vice President helped immortalise the official signing of healthcare legislation today with an earthy reminder of its historic importance.
“This is a big f***ing deal,” Joe Biden whispered into the President’s ear in the East Room of the White House where Barack Obama was about to sign the healthcare bill into law. The microphones and television cameras captured his words for posterity.
Mr Obama barely flinched as he stepped forward to address a crowd of congressmen and invited guests before adding his signature to the vital House Resolution 3590, which paves the way for near-universal health coverage in America. >>> Nico Hines | Tuesday, March 23, 2010
