Democrats look beyond looming health vote

Video: Key Senate vote looms on health care bill

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   >>> but we're going to begin with that key health care vote on the hill today. nbc's chief white house tront chuck todd has more. dhuk, good morning.

   >> reporter: good morning, meredith. despite president obama 's hope for a bipartisan health care reform effort, today's vote in the senate is likely to get at best one lone republican vote. that said, the white house believes today's a very important step on this road to reform. after months of controversy, president obama now sees consensus, not division, over health care .

   >> what's remarkable is not that we've had a spirited debate about health insurance reform, but the unprecedented consensus that's come together behind it.

   >> reporter: but even as the senate finance committee gets ready for the vote, there may be only a single republican, senator olympia snowe of maine, even considering voting with the democrats. the bill, crafted by senator max baucus wor baucus would insure 94% of americans with $829 billion over ten years, but backers claim it will reduce the deficit through forced cost savings, but republicans have dismissed the savings of the bill, the only bill full white house support.

   >> it's irrelevant. the bill it's referring to will never see the light of day.

   >> reporter: even some democrats could vote against the bill. senator jay rockefeller of west virginia and oregon senator ron wyden both see flaws in the legislation.

   >> it's going to be really hard for members of congress to explain why their constituents get no choices while elected officials here in washington, d.c., get lots of them, good-quality ones.

   >> reporter: still, the white house expects to have both democrats if they need their vote, but the senator they care most about is snowe. everything she's asked for, including a one-week delay in the vote itself, she's gotten.

   >> i'm probably more optimistic than less.

   >> reporter: and after working with the white house to craft legislation, the health insurance struck back monday with a report claiming the finance committee bill would cause health care costs to go up higher with individuals with individual insurance.

   >> yes, i did feel blind-sided. i did feel we were working constructively to work with the congress to make sure any legitimate concerns they have were addressed.

   >> reporter: now, some supporters of the baucus bill actually think this attack in the last-minute nature of it by the insurance industry might actually help galvanize support on the left, since some on the left had been very critical of baucus ' bill because it didn't include things like the public option. meredith?

   >> all right, chuck todd , thank

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