Senate Democrats consider tactic to push through government health plan

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.