Like the phoenix ...

ABC News is now reporting that the Senate has 60 votes for a public healthcare option. In my column Thursday, I noted that it had suddenly burst back to life against great odds, with the House poised to pass a version of it and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) considering including it in the merged bill he drafts from the marks produced by the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate HELP Committee.

Healthcare reform has a long way to go. There is no agreement between the House and Senate about how to pay for it. There are serious questions about affordability and the burden a mandate to purchase insurance will impose on middle-class families. Polls show Americans worry about this very matter, with majorities convinced an overhaul will raise prices or taxes and not improve care. But read this ABC News report about the public option suddenly finding a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate — it is big news.

And yes, you will find in my column and the ABC News piece the same tired cliche about the public option coming back from the dead. It was lame but fitting.


CAN A PUBLIC OPTION PASS THE CONGRESS? SHOULD IT? Ask A.B. returns Tuesday, Oct. 27. Please join my weekly video Q&A by sending your questions and comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thank you.