Published by Jamie JemmesonThe dollar took a moderate hit in foreign exchange trading this morning (March 22nd) after the US Congress voted in favour of the most radical overhaul of the national healthcare system since the introduction of Medicare in 1965.President Barack Obama claimed victory yesterday after the divisive bill was pushed through the house by a margin of seven votes. No Republicans voted for the bill."This legislation will not fix everything that ails our healthcare system but it moves us decisively in the right direction. This is what change looks like," Mr Obama told reporters at a White House press conference.The cost of the two healthcare bills drawn up by the Obama administration has been estimated at around $940 billion over ten years, covering up to 32 million Americans currently without health insurance.Speaking to MarketWatch, Callum Henderson, head of forex strategy at Standard Chartered, commented: "At the margin, it's a mild negative for the dollar."For more information on international payments, visit our Smart FX site