Politics | Harry Reid Reid Narrows In on 60 Votes for Public Option Landrieu and Lieberman agree not to block opt-out plan By Caroline Miller Posted Oct 24, 2009 9:25 AM CDT Copied Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, accompanied by Sen. Charles Schumer and Sen. Patrick Leahy, speaks during a news conference on health insurance companies, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Harry Reid closed in on the 60 votes he needs to pass a health reform bill with a public option yesterday, aided by 2 Democratic moderates who pledged not to filibuster the vote. Both Mary Landrieu and Joe Lieberman said they wouldn't block the bill, which offers a public insurance option that states could opt out of. Another Democratic fence-sitter, Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, signaled that he might support the opt-out plan. Reid could still switch from an opt-out to an opt-in, or "trigger" plan, to win a yea vote from Sen. Olympia Snowe, his best hope among Republicans, before the bill comes to a vote as early as Tuesday, Politico reports. In a White House meeting Thursday, Obama appeared to favor the trigger plan. Read These Next Her blood isn't compatible with anyone else's. Rubio says the fate of Iran's conversion facility is what matters. Iran's supreme leader makes first public comments since ceasefire. Some of the most explosive Diddy allegations are dropped. Report an error