Senate Democrats consider tactic to push through government health plan

The New York Times, August 24, 2009

Senate Democrats said they were fleshing out plans to pass health legislation, particularly the option of a new government-run insurance program, with a simple majority, instead of the 60 votes that would ordinarily be needed to overcome a filibuster. After consulting experts in Senate rules and procedure, the Democrats said they were increasingly confident that they could create a public plan in a way that would withstand challenges expected from Republicans.