Obama says Senate committee passage of health overhaul bill is ‘critical milestone’

Obama: Senate panel OK ‘critical milestone’

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says passage of legislation by a key Senate committee is “a critical milestone” toward getting a health care overhaul this year, but that “now is not the time to pat ourselves on the back.”

Obama spoke in the Rose Garden on Tuesday about two hours after the Senate Finance Committee approved its version of health care reform. Obama praised the bill but didn’t endorse it over the others that have passed other committees.

With the versions now needing to be merged, Obama cautioned against premature celebrating. He said “we are now closer than ever before” to overhauling the nation’s health care system, but that “now is the time to dig in and work even harder.”