WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In 1994, universal health care was a key policy plan for then-President Bill Clinton. It eventually failed.



In 1993, President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary  Clinton listen to a man's story about health care problems.



Now, 15 years later, another Democratic president is taking on the challenge, but facing an uphill battle from not only from Republicans, but from members of his own party.



Will failing to reform health care have the same consequences for Obama's administration as it did for Clinton's?



Like Obama, Clinton came into office with reforming the nation's health care system as one of his top priorities. Then-first lady Hillary Clinton, who headed the administration's task force on reforming the system, delivered a 1,000-page plan that was dubbed "Hillary Care," which required Americans and permanent resident aliens to enroll in a health plan. Other provisions included Americans below a certain income level paying nothing for care.



Republicans decried the plan as overcomplicated and used it to tag the administration as big government-loving, tax-and-spend liberals.



The plan's failure emboldened Republicans and led to huge Democratic losses in the 1994 midterm elections, allowing the GOP to take control of Congress and stymie other Clinton initiatives.



Now, 15 years later, Obama potentially faces a similar fate.



Obama seeks the overhaul to ensure that health insurance is available to the 46 million Americans currently without coverage while preventing costs to both the government and individuals from continuing to climb.  Watch more on the health care debate »



The president had set a deadline for passage of a bill before the August congressional recess, but in an interview Monday with PBS's Jim Lehrer, the president said that if Congress tells him it's "going to spill over by a few days or a week," that's fine. iReport.com: Weigh in on the health care debate



A senior White House official adds that while there is a "long way to go" in coming up with legislation, there is a true effort being made to devise a bipartisan plan.  See how the plans compare »



"[The Senate] is working in a bipartisan way and despite all of the cacophony of attacks you've heard from some Republicans, I think you've got to give some credit to the Republicans on the finance committee who are making right now a good faith effort, despite pressure, probably from their own party, to work with Democrats to try to come up with something that people can get behind," said White House Communications Director Anita Dunn on Wednesday.



Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, says in order for health care reform to get passed, it will take a well-coordinated bipartisan effort.



"I think the president is right. He really does want a bipartisan effort. And that's what it's going to take for it to be for the American people. But the approach to it is kind of like a doctor practicing bad medicine where you fix only symptoms and don't treat the disease. ... the disease is only going to get worse."



But the battle over health care reform is weighed down by complex problems, competing interests, a $1 trillion price tag, conservative Democrats in sticker shock and Republicans sensing an opportunity to regain some of the power they lost in the 2006 congressional elections.



Conservative Bill Kristol wrote in his blog that there is an opportunity to inflict political damage to the president and that opponents shouldn't compromise:



"My advice, for what it's worth: Resist the temptation," Kristol wrote. "This is no time to pull punches. Go for the kill."



The White House has so far resisted another idea for raising revenue -- creating a tax on the medical benefits provided by employers. Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus said he likes the idea, but Obama said it could be too disruptive to a system in which 180 million Americans have health coverage provided by their employers.



But while Obama has remained mostly popular in national polls so far, support for his health care plan has
What is Obama urging Congress to do? How many Americans are Obama and the Democrats seeking coverage for? What year did Clinton make his push for reform? When did Clinton propose a health plan? What is Obama seeking? How many people do Obama and top Democrats want to cover? What is the number of Americans this would help?
reform health care 180 million 1994, 1994, the overhaul to ensure that health insurance is available to the 46 million Americans currently without coverage while preventing costs to both the government and individuals from continuing to climb. 46 million Americans 46 million
question: What is Obama urging Congress to do?, answer: reform health care | question: How many Americans are Obama and the Democrats seeking coverage for?, answer: 180 million | question: What year did Clinton make his push for reform?, answer: 1994, | question: When did Clinton propose a health plan?, answer: 1994, | question: What is Obama seeking?, answer: the overhaul to ensure that health insurance is available to the 46 million Americans currently without coverage while preventing costs to both the government and individuals from continuing to climb. | question: How many people do Obama and top Democrats want to cover?, answer: 46 million Americans | question: What is the number of Americans this would help?, answer: 46 million