Harry Reid closed in on the 60 votes he needs to pass a health reform bill with a public option yesterday, aided by 2 Democratic moderates who pledged not to filibuster the vote. Both Mary Landrieu and Joe Lieberman said they wouldn't block the bill, which offers a public insurance option that states could opt out of. Another Democratic fence-sitter, Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, signaled that he might support the opt-out plan.
Reid could still switch from an opt-out to an opt-in, or "trigger" plan, to win a yea vote from Sen. Olympia Snowe, his best hope among Republicans, before the bill comes to a vote as early as Tuesday, Politico reports. In a White House meeting Thursday, Obama appeared to favor the trigger plan.
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