120 House Democrats demand public option

Over a hundred House Democrats are urging the Senate to use reconciliation to pass heatlhcare reform that includes a public option.

Progressives launched a campaign to revive the public option after Democrats lost their supermajority last month. Now that Democrats lack 60 votes to break a filibuster, it's likely they will have to use reconciliation anyway in order to change parts of their bill that House Democrats object to.

In a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) today, 120 House Democrats say the Senate should seize that opportunity and include a public option.

"This letter states loud and clear that the public option is gaining momentum and is alive and well in the eyes of the American public,” said Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), who organized the show of support along with Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine). "Our job now is to convince Washington what the American people already know—that a public option is essential to challenging the insurance companies and ensuring the choice and competition we need to drive prices down."

Read the full letter here.

Democrats have been trying to figure out a way to finish healthcare legislation without dealing with another 60-vote barrier in the Senate. The most talked-about option so far would be for the House to pass the Senate bill without changing it, thus foregoing another regular Senate vote. The Senate could then use budget reconciliation to fix parts of the bill that deal only with expenditures and taxes.