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Senate Finance Committee approves health-care reform bill in a 14-9 vote – MedCity Morning Read, Oct. 14, 2009

With the support of a lone Republican, the Senate Finance Committee approved its $829 billion health-care reform bill Tuesday. The Republican, Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, was an author of the bill, The New York Times reported, but she had never committed to voting for it.

By Sarah Latson on October 14, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the support of a lone Republican, the Senate Finance Committee approved its $829 billion health-care reform bill Tuesday.

The Republican, Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, was an author of the bill, The New York Times reported, but she had never committed to voting for it.

With Snowe’s vote, which the Times described as providing “at least a veneer of bipartisanship to the bill,” the vote was 14 to 9. However, that does not mean Snowe’s support is guaranteed in the future. In a speech Tuesday afternoon, the Times reported, Snowe said, “My vote today is my vote today. It doesn’t forecast what my vote will be tomorrow.”

Nonetheless, Democrats will do their best to keep Snowe on their side. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid “is prepared to do what he can to keep her on board while putting together a bill that can get the 60 votes necessary to overcome a Republican filibuster,” his spokesman told the Times.

Today, Reid will meet with Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the finance committee; Sen. Christopher Dodd, who chaired the health committee when it passed its version of the health-care bill; and White House representatives, the Times said. The newspaper noted that Snowe will be invited to future meetings.

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