Senate HELP Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D., Iowa) said that a government-run public insurance plan could be offered next year via a budget reconciliation bill.

The Hill’s Jeffrey Young reports:

Harkin supports the public option and said the House and Senate advocates would “begin working on that immediately” but, like other Senate Democrats, rejected amending the current reconciliation bill because such a move would force the House to pass it again. Because of centrist Democratic opposition, the public option may not have enough support to pass the House. “The greater good is getting the bill passed,” not waging a fight this week over the public option.

Full story here.