In healthcare news, Sen. Charles Schumer of New York said Senate Democrats are close to garnering enough votes to pass a healthcare bill that includes a government-run health insurance option. Sen. Charles Schumer appeared on Meet the Press on Sunday.

Sen. Charles Schumer: “I think we’re very close to getting the sixty votes we need to move forward, and my guess is that the public option level playing field with the state opt-out will be in the bill. But Leader Reid will make that decision after he talks to everybody several times.”

Senator Schumer’s comments came a day after the Huffington Post reported President Obama is actively discouraging Senate Democrats in their effort to include a public insurance option with a state opt-out clause as part of healthcare reform. In its place, Obama has indicated a preference for an alternative policy, favored by the insurance industry, which would see a public plan “triggered” into effect in the future by a failure of the industry to meet certain benchmarks.