By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

Oct. 23, 2009 –The public option is starting to look good to the American public and  to lawmakers burning the midnight oil working on health care reform legislation. It looks like late night talks could bring the White House and senior Senate Democrats closer together on how to reform health care that includes a government run insurance program.

 Thursday night’s meeting ended with talk of health care legislation that would strongly consider a requirement for the federal government to compete directly with private industry in the sale of insurance.

This is exactly what Black lawmakers have wanted from the beginning and something President Obama said he “strongly supported” but wouldn’t require.  Following the summer town hall meetings were folks railed against the plan, the alternative proposed co-op by some Senate conservatives and flexibility of the presidents’ stand on the issue made it difficult to secure congressional support.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked Thursday about the possibility of a “state-based” public option gaining support.  Gibbs wouldn’t commit,  “Obviously we’ll continue to evaluate proposals as they come down the pike that are involved in the merged legislation as we go forward.”

But if individual states decided to “opt-out” that would create another set of circumstances – but it appears to be one of the options being discussed. 

But the first glimmer of hope for the public option came from Democratic Sens. Ben Nelson, (Neb) and Kent Conrad,(N.D)., when they told reporters they had heard private negotiations were considering the plan.

In recent weeks support for the public option has increased.  The Congressional Budget Office gave it a better score than the suggested co-operative plan and five of the proposed health care bills in the House and Senate committee have a public option.  

Opponents contend an affordable public option would drive private insurers out of business and be the first steps toward a government run health care system.  However supporters of the public options say if the insurance companies offer fair market prices there business will grow with an additional 40 million Americans entering the market place.

The president should put his full force behind the public option – the tide is turning and he should grab onto the wave.