Associated Press writer Erica Werner reports from Washington that President Barack Obama is readying to sign the historic health care bill that would provide near-universal medical coverage for the first time in the nation’s history, and then he would embark on an effort to tout its merits to a reluctant public.

House Democrats voted 219-212 on Sunday, March 21, to send the legislation to Obama. The 10-year, $938 billion bill would extend coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans, reduce deficits, and ban insurance company practices such as charging more to women and denying coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions, Werner reports in the article.

Obama plans to visit Iowa City, Iowa on March 25, according to the White House, as he sets his sights on shepherding a companion bill through the Senate and pitching the health care overhaul’s benefits on behalf of House members who cast "risky" votes.

"This is what change looks like," Obama said later in a broadcast.

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[Source: Associated Press]