In a potential breakthrough for the public option, and for saving comprehensive healthcare reform, Harry Reid's office is saying that if the final decision is made to push helathcare reform via reconciliation, Reid would support including the public option. Greg Sargent:
With more and more Senators signing on to the letter urging Reid to hold an up or down vote on the public option under reconciliation rules, Reid spokesman Rodell Mollineau sends over a statement signaling Reid’s qualified support for the move:
Senator Reid has always and continues to support the public option as a way to drive down costs and create competition. That is why he included the measure in his original health care proposal.
If a decision is made to use reconciliation to advance health care, Senator Reid will work with the White House, the House, and members of his caucus in an effort to craft a public option that can overcome procedural obstacles and secure enough votes.
That’s a fairly big step forward: Up until now, Reid, while supporting the public option throughout the process, had been silent on whether he’d support a reconciliation vote on it.
What still has to happen: support from 50 Dem Senators to use the reconciliation process, and an agreement with the House on sequencing of votes. But this is signficant, as Sargent notes: "for the first time, the Majority Leader’s office has now said that a reconciliation vote on the public option is a real possibilty."