Health Reform Vote Set for Senate Finance Committee

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• JIM LEHRER:

  Democrats and Republicans began gearing up today for key votes on health care reform. That's after the leading Senate bill won a favorable report on cost and coverage.

  NewsHour congressional correspondent Kwame Holman begins our "Lead Story" coverage.

• MAN:

  The Senate will come to order.

• KWAME HOLMAN:

  At the start of business this morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid named the date for final action in the Finance Committee.

  SEN. HARRY REID, D-Nev., senate majority leader: That bill will be voted on by the Finance Committee on Tuesday morning and be reported to the Senate.

  Mr. President, since Harry Truman was president, Democrats have fought to make it more affordable to live a healthy life in America. Every day, we come closer to achieving that goal. Yesterday was a landmark occasion.

• KWAME HOLMAN:

  That occasion was a newly published estimate on Senator Max Baucus' bill. The Montana Democrat chairs the Finance Committee.

  The Congressional Budget Office projected the cost at $829 billion over 10 years, about $70 billion less than Baucus' own estimate. The CBO said the bill would ensure coverage of 94 percent of eligible Americans, more than Baucus expected, and it would reduce the deficit.

  But Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell answered, the CBO's accounting is irrelevant. He said the Baucus bill ultimately will be merged with other, more expensive versions.

  SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, R-Ky, senate minority leader: It doesn't tell the whole story. The fact is, the bill it's referring to will never see the light of day, and we all know that.

  The other numbers we have seen are intended to explain how much this bill will cost over 10 years. What most people don't realize is that the new plans won't go into effect for another four-and-a-half years. So, what's being sold as a 10-year cost is really a five-and-a-half-year cost. That means you can take the numbers you are getting and nearly double them.

• KWAME HOLMAN:

  Beyond the numbers debate, the fate of a public option remained in doubt. It is not included in the Baucus bill, but, on the House side today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it will be the bills the House submits to the Congressional Budget Office.

  REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-Calif., speaker of the souse: We're in a very good place, because we have many good options. And that's why I'm so pleased about where we are. Through consensus, through discussion and the rest, the members have rallied to a place where they will have — there will be the votes for a public option. Now it's a question of which one.

• KWAME HOLMAN:

  Pelosi also said she's considering adding a windfall profits tax on health insurance companies to pay for the bill.

  But House Republican Leader John Boehner quickly condemned that idea.

  REP. JOHN BOEHNER, R-Ohio, house minority leader: Listen, I used to run a small business. If somebody raised my costs, what am I going to do? I have got to pass it on. And that's exactly what is going to happen here. And, so, Americans who have policies today will end up paying higher premiums to cover the cost of this tax. It's just — it's not appropriate and it's unnecessary.

• KWAME HOLMAN:

  At the White House, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs welcomed the CBO report on the Baucus bill, but he did not commit to pushing for the public option.

• ROBERT GIBBS:

  The head of that process is obviously going to be the Senate majority leader working with members of relevant committees in the Senate. And I presume that we will get a chance to look at and have some comment on those bills.

• KWAME HOLMAN:

  For now, the outcome in the Senate Finance Committee hinges on key members from both sides. It was unclear today how they will vote.