Harkin says he'll 'fight hard' to keep public option

The chairman of the other Senate committee to pass a health reform bill said he would "fight hard" to keep a public option in the final Senate package.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee, said he believed the controversial provision would be in the final Senate legislation after his committee's effort is merged with the Senate Finance Committee's version.

"We do have a public option in our bill, and we're going to fight hard to keep that public option in it," Harkin said during an interview on MSNBC Tuesday afternoon. "And I believe it will be in the final bill."

The Finance committee approved legislation lacking a public option 14-9 today, leaving it up to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to cobble together a single bill between the Finance and HELP committees' products.

Like many Democratic leaders, Harkin praised the Finance committee's vote as a "positive step forward" in the quest for health reform.

The chairman said he would look for "common ground" in negotiations with Reid and Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), but maintained that the public option should be included in whatever bill emerges from those talks.