"We have received assurances that we will be able to work with the administration to assure that existing law is maintained - not to change it in any way, but to make sure that it applies to this bill," she said in a statement.

Miss Kaptur, Rep. Bart Stupak (D., Mich.), and five other anti-abortion Democrats agreed to back the health-care bill, giving it the votes needed to pass in the House, after the White House announced the executive order.

"The bill overall addresses a serious problem before the country today, which is that people are finding their insurance plans unaffordable. This bill will create and foster competition among all plans. Of course the insurance companies are fighting that tooth and nail," she said in a statement.

"It is so profound," she said. "It establishes a platform under all of America's families."

"The goal all along was to maintain existing law, which is embodied in the Hyde Amendment," Miss Kaptur said. "I am proud to have stood strong with my allies in this cause to make sure that existing law is maintained."

"Today is the day that is going to rank with the day we passed the civil rights bill in 1964," said Rep. John Dingell, who represents Michigan's 15th District, which includes Monroe County, and a member of Congress since 1955.

"Today we're doing something that ranks with what we did with Social Security or Medicare. This is a day of which we can all be proud if we vote for that legislation," he said.

Mr. Obama's executive order, the product of frenzied 11th-hour negotiations involving Mr. Stupak's group and members of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, orders federal officials to develop guidelines to carry out the separation of private and public funds. The order sets out a mechanism to ensure that community health centers cannot use federal funds for abortions, another concern for the Stupak group.

Rep. Bob Latta (R. Bowling Green), who voted no, was critical of Mr. Obama's executive order, saying it would not have the force of law and "is really not worth the ink that's on the paper."

For the measure to carry the force of law, he said, the prohibition against federal funding for abortion must be included in the statute itself. He said the version that the House had voted on earlier in the debate had carried that prohibition, while the Senate version, which the House approved last night, did not.

Mr. Latta said Republicans have not given up.

"In addition to opposing the Senate-passed health-care bill, I also voted against the reconciliation proposal which does nothing but make a bad bill worse," he said.

He said the reconciliation bill "is in serious danger of violating the Congressional Budget Act of 1974" and is open to a point of order when it reaches the Senate that could stop it from further proceedings and force the House to pass a new reconciliation bill.

Another opponent, Jim Jordan (R., Urbana), whose district covers part of Hancock County, said his constituents have telephoned, e-mailed, written letters, and attended town hall meetings with a similar message.

"Their message was clear: We don't want this bill," he said.

"Unfortunately, instead of listening to the American people, Democrat leaders twisted arms, used taxpayer money to cut deals, and made a mockery of the legislative process in order to get the votes necessary to pass this legislation," he said in a statement shortly after the vote.

Rep. Mark Schauer (D., Jackson), whose district includes Lenawee and parts of six other southeast Michigan counties, said health-care reform will cut costs for Michigan families and businesses and "allow the American people to sign up for the same kind of quality, affordable, private health care plans that are available to members of Congress."

This report includes information from the Associated Press.

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