While calling itl “far from perfect,” Virginia freshman U.S. Senator Mark Warner said the passage by the U.S. Senate this morning of its health care reform legislation “will start to curb soaring health care costs for consumers and businesses, reduce our federal budget deficits over time, and extend the life of the Medicare program.” Warner was one of 60 U.S. Senators to vote for the bill, while 39 voted against.

The majority for passage of the bill was attained at 7:12 a.m. EST this morning.

In his statement, Warner added, “A dozen of my freshmen colleagues worked together to successfully add significant cost containment measures to the Senate proposal, and we have expanded programs that deliver high quality care at lower cost” with amendments to “encourage innovation, broaden transparency and aggressively attack inefficiency and fraud,” measures that, he said, were endorsed by the AARP, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, and major businesses that make up the Business Roundtable.

He concluded, “As this bill moves to conference, the focus must remain on the goals of reducing health care costs, increasing efficiency and accountability, and incorporating private sector solutions to our health care challenges.”