The Senate Finance Committee voted this afternoon on amendments offered by Sens. John D. "Jay" Rockefeller IV (D-W.V.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) that would have created a public health insurance option in health reform legislation it's crafting.

Up first was the amendment offered by Rockefeller, who asked: "Who comes first, the insurance companies or the American people?"

In the vote taken around 3 p.m., five Democratic Senators joined the Republicans to defeat the Rockefeller amendment by a vote of 15 to 8. They were Max Baucus of Montana, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Bill Nelson of Florida and Tom Carper of Delaware.

The Senators who voted in favor of that public option plan were Sens. Rockefeller, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, John Kerry of Massachusetts, Maria Cantwell of Washington, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Chuck Schumer of New York, Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.

The committee then considered another amendment to create a public option offered by Sen. Schumer. In its comparison of the plans, the New York Times noted that Rockefeller's amendment would have paid health care providers at rates tied to Medicare and renegotiated every two years, while Schumer's would not have predetermined the rates but left them to be negotiated later. They would be higher than what Medicare pays but lower than current market rates.

But the Senate Finance Committee also rejected Schumer's compromise, by a vote of 13-10. The three Democratic Senators who joined the Republicans in voting against the measure were Baucus, Conrad and Lincoln.

Along with Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas, Lincoln was targeted by TV ads sponsored by the progressive blog Firedoglake that implied a vote against the public option would bring them opposition in their next primary.