By Patrick Yoest

Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. Senate voted to advance health-care legislation in an initial procedural vote early Monday, beginning a process that puts the bill on track for passage later this week.

In a 60-40 vote, Democrats won approval for a motion that limits debate on the $871 billion bill, which is the product of months of painstaking negotiations. No Republicans voted in favor of the motion.

The vote, which became something of a foregone conclusion when Sen. Ben Nelson, (D., Neb.) announced support for the bill Saturday, presages a series of votes this week in which Democrats are expected to prevail. A final vote on the passage of the bill likely will occur on Dec. 24, but the bill still must be reconciled with another health-care measure passed in the House.

Democrats have pulled out the stops in order to pass the bill by Christmas. Senate Majority Harry Reid, (D., Nev.) held negotiations with Nelson in order to receive Nelson's vote, resulting in concessions that included changes to the bill that lowered costs for Nebraska's Medicaid program.

Passage of the bill would mark a milestone, following the House passing its own version of the legislation in November. Sen. Christopher Dodd, (D., Conn.), in a speech on the Senate floor, put the bill's passage in historical terms: "This fight is older than most of us who serve in this body," Dodd said.

Republicans had a different take on the bill, arguing that it spent too much to achieve too little and that Democrats pushed the bill through without giving senators adequate time to review it. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, (R., Ky.) called attention to the late vote by referring to a "rushed vote at one in the morning," and said the bill is "a blind call to make history."

The bill extends insurance to 31 million Americans, creating a new system of tax credits to allow low and middle-income individual and families to purchase insurance coverage. The Federation of American Hospitals and the American Hospital Association endorsed the legislation over the weekend, representing support from an important part of the U.S. health-care sector.

But Republicans criticized deals made by Reid to win the support of Nelson and others. Nelson negotiated changes that would exempt Nebraska insurance company Mutual of Omaha's supplemental Medicare plan from a tax on insurers in the bill and a provision ensuring that Nebraska would not have to foot the cost for any new Medicaid enrollees from an expansion in the program proposed in the bill.

Sen. Tom Coburn, (R., Okla.), said in a speech on the Senate floor that "What the American people ought to pray is that somebody can't make the vote tonight"--a remark that provoked Reid spokesman Jim Manley to say that Coburn's message was "beyond the pale."

"All that Republicans have to offer are offensive comments and fear mongering," Manley said.

-By Patrick Yoest, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-3554; patrick.yoest@dowjones.com


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Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) expressed his hope that a Senator of the majority caucus would not be able to make the vote:

What the American people ought to pray is that somebody can’t make the vote tonight. That’s what they ought to pray.

Just a few minutes later, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) interrupted while Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) was speaking to issue a challenge to Coburn:

I have been trying to reach Sen. Coburn. … This statement troubles me, and I’m trying to reach him come back to the floor and explain exactly what he meant about a senator being unable to make the vote tonight. … I’m reaching out to Sen. Coburn. I’ll be on the floor for the next 45 minutes, and I hope that he will join me there.

Watch it:

Standing on the floor earlier this month, Coburn told seniors, “I’ve got a message for you: you’re going to die soon.”

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