Landrieu says Finance bill best of the health proposals

The Senate Finance Committee's health bill is the closest to accomplishing meaningful healthcare reform, one key Democratic centrist said Tuesday.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said that the Finance bill was a "step in teh right direction," and does the best job of moving toward substantive reform compared to the other Senate bill, and the three House committee bills.

"The Finance bill coming out of the Senate is the closest to providing market reform and choice," Landrieu said during an appearance on MSNBC. "I'm not for a government-run, national public option, but I am for choice and more competition."

Landrieu has been among a group of centrist Democrats who have rejected the public (or "government-run") option and whose support for a final health bill will be crucial to the legislation's chances in the Senate.

The House is in the process of merging its three bills, while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is working on cobbling together a Senate bill from the Finance committee proposal, and the legislation to have passed out of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee.

Landrieu signaled room for compromise, but cast her lot more firmly with the Finance proposal.

"We're still working on this compromise, but I think the Finance bill is a step in the right direction," she said.