Key House Dem: Public option will survive

The public option is likely to survive ongoing negotiations over healthcare reform, one key Democratic lawmaker asserted this weekend.

In the face of signs that the public (or "government-run") plan may be jettisoned or subjected to a so-called "trigger" mechanism, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said the provision will live on in some form.

"I think it will survive, and I think it's a good thing to have," said Pallone, an author of the House healthcare reform bill as the chairman of the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Health.

Obama will detail his healthcare reform preferences in a speech before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night. Senior White House officials promised this morning that the speech would lay out more specifics and draw "lines in the sand," but were more coy about whether or not it would delineate the president's preference on the public option.

"I think he may define it and be more specific about what he wants," he said. "Most of the bills have a lot in common and adhere to his principles."

Pallone said that the August recess for lawmakers, which ends as they return this week, had sent a "mixed message" about their healthcare efforts, but that they would continue to press on with the legislation in weeks to come.