Democrats in the Senate will include a government-run health insurance plan in the health reform legislation they move to the Senate floor. In a press conference held this afternoon, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) cited recent public polls showing strong support for a so-called "public option" as one reason for the move.
Our previous coverage suggested that it was unlikely the controversial provision would be able to attract enough votes to get even this far.
It's important to note that Reid took pains to moderate the proposed provision, stating that any state could choose not to have the public option made available within its borders.
It's a clear step forward from his position just last week, when Reid said he was "leaning toward talking about a public option." Today Reid called a public option with a state-level "opt-out" clause the "fairest way to go." Now it's time to sit back and wait for the Republican counter-argument.