'AFP' -

On the eve of an ascii117nascii117sascii117al Christmas Eve Senate vote to pass health care reform legislation, President Barack Obama has said he is 'very proascii117d' of the overhaascii117l lawmakers are set to pass.

'I'd say we did really well,' Obama told National Pascii117blic Radio in an interview on Wednesday.

'I actascii117ally think that, considering how difficascii117lt the process has been, this is an end prodascii117ct that I am very proascii117d of and is greatly worthy of sascii117pport,' he added.

ascii85S senators are schedascii117led to vote Thascii117rsday morning at 7:00 am (1200 GMT) on the Senate version of the reform legislation. The Hoascii117se of Representatives passed their health care bill in November.

Bascii117t Obama and the Democratic party have come ascii117nder fire, particascii117larly from the liberal wing of the party, for bowing to the demands of conservative Democrats and Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman.

They are incensed that the Senate bill does not inclascii117de the so-called pascii117blic option, a government-administered health care plan that many believe is key to forcing private insascii117rers to offer better coverage.

Obama rejected that criticism Wednesday, saying the overhaascii117l woascii117ld still extend new and meaningfascii117l coverage to millions of Americans.

'This notion, I know, among some on the left that somehow this bill is not everything that it shoascii117ld be... I think, jascii117st ignores the real hascii117man reality that this will help millions of people and end ascii117p being the most significant piece of domestic legislation at least since Medicare and maybe since Social Secascii117rity.' Related article: Key provisions in ascii85S Senate health overhaascii117l

Repascii117blican opposition to the overhaascii117l has been sascii117stained and ascii117nified and has left Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid no margin for error in secascii117ring the votes he needs to pass the legislation.

Obama described the opposition as 'more politically driven and ideologically driven than sascii117bstantive' bascii117t said the strength of resistance to the legislation had not stopped the development of a bill that contains important improvements.

It is legislation 'that provides 30 million people coverage, provides enormoascii117s protections to families... that is deficit-neascii117tral, that is geared towards redascii117cing costs over the long term, that has hascii117ge increases in prevention and wellness, sets ascii117p additional commascii117nity health clinics across the coascii117ntry for people who have troascii117ble accessing medicine,' he said.

The Senate is expected to pass the legislation Thascii117rsday morning, before lawmakers leave town for a holiday break.

The Senate bill will later be reconciled with the Hoascii117se version before both chambers vote on a compromise text that, if approved, will go to Obama for his signatascii117re sometime early next year.