WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House senior advisor David Axelrod predicted on Sunday that Congress would approve a major healthcare overhaul, one day after Democratic senators secured the 60 votes needed for passage.
"I think it will pass the Congress," Axelrod said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I think we're going to get it done."
Democratic holdout Senator Ben Nelson announced his support on Saturday for President Barack Obama's top domestic priority after a marathon negotiating session, which would make it possible for the Senate to approve the sweeping overhaul before Christmas.
The Senate-approved version must be reconciled with legislation pass by the House of Representatives before Obama can sign it into law.
Axelrod said the legislation did not give Obama everything he wanted, such as a government-run insurance option, but was still a major step forward.
"It is light years ahead of where we were," he said. "It's not perfect, and over time it may be improved."
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan, editing by Vicki Allen)
