Washington ( CNN ) -- House Democrats are signaling that a final health care bill will drop the government-run public health insurance option favored by liberals but rejected by conservatives from both parties . A House-Senate conference committee will begin negotiations next month on merging health care bills passed by the Democratic majorities in each chamber . However , voting in both chambers was extremely close , raising concerns that a compromise might fail to win the necessary final approval . One of the main differences between the two measures is the public option . The House bill contains the public option as a competitor to private insurers in a national heath insurance exchange open to people now unable to get coverage , but the Senate version lacks a public option . President Obama , who has made health care reform his top domestic priority this year , has expressed general support for a public option but stops short of insisting on the provision . Liberal Democrats in the House have said they want to keep the public option , but one of their leaders -- Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina , the chamber 's third-ranking Democrat -- said Sunday that he could vote for a bill without the government insurance plan . `` We want a public option to do basically three things : create more choice for insurers , create more competition for insurance companies and to contain costs , '' Clyburn said on the CBS program `` Face the Nation . '' `` So if we can come up with a process by which these three things can be done , then I 'm all for it . Whether or not we label it a public option or not is of no consequence . '' The Senate health care bill required the support of all 60 members of the Democratic caucus to overcome a Republican filibuster . Such precarious support allowed individual moderates in the Democratic caucus to wield major influence on the bill , with at least two -- Sens . Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Ben Nelson of Nebraska -- saying they would oppose the measure if it contained the public option . On Sunday , Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland , chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee , acknowledged the reality of the Senate politics . Asked on `` Fox News Sunday '' about the public option , Van Hollen said , `` It 's not dead , but we also recognize that the Senate was able to just muster the 60 votes . '' The House could drop the public option if `` there are other mechanisms in whatever bill comes out that will keep down premiums , '' Van Hollen said . Supporters of a public option say it would provide nonprofit competition to private insurers that would bring down costs , but opponents contend that it is the first step toward a government takeover of the health care system . In place of a public option , the Senate bill includes a provision allowing private insurers to offer nonprofit coverage overseen by a government agency . Both the House and Senate bills would permit the creation of nonprofit private insurance cooperatives to increase competition .
Close votes in House , Senate raise fears that compromise might not win approval . House bill contains public option to compete with private insurers ; Senate version does not . Obama has expressed support for option but stops short of insisting on provision .