WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Senate Democratic leaders met Thursday night with White House officials to consider including a government-funded public health insurance option , along with a provision allowing states to opt out of it , in a health care overhaul bill . Sen. Olympia Snowe has been the only GOP supporter of health care legislation . Two senior Democratic Senate sources told CNN that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is leaning toward a public option with the state opt-out provision in the Senate health care bill that will reach the full chamber in coming weeks . According to one source familiar with the White House meeting , the matter was discussed with President Obama but no decisions were made . Republicans and some moderate Democrats oppose a public option , threatening the chances for a bill that includes the provision to get the 60 votes necessary to overcome a Senate filibuster . The state opt-out provision is considered a possible way to get moderate Democrats to support a bill with a public option . However , the spokesman for Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska , a key moderate , said Nelson opposes the idea of a national public option with an opt-out for the states . In addition , the idea is opposed by Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine , the only Republican to support any kind of health care proposal so far . Snowe 's spokesman , John Gentzel , confirmed to CNN her opposition to the modified public option . Obama and Democratic leaders say the nonprofit public option will bring competition to the health insurance industry and lower costs while expanding access to Americans currently without coverage . Republican opponents contend a public option would drive private insurers from the market and lead to an eventual government takeover of the health care system . Of five health care bills approved so far by House and Senate committees , four include a public option . The other bill , from the Senate Finance Committee , includes nonprofit cooperatives instead of a public option and is the proposal supported by Snowe . In recent days , two administration officials have told CNN that the prevailing White House opinion is for the Senate health care bill to include a so-called `` trigger '' mechanism proposed by Snowe that would bring a public option in the future if thresholds for expanding coverage and lowering costs go unmet in coming years . The source familiar with Thursday evening 's meeting said Obama `` pushed for a so-called trigger , because it 's the more bipartisan way to go , '' due to Snowe 's support for the concept . A critical White House goal in passing a health care bill is the ability to call it bipartisan , so Obama officials are wary of doing anything to alienate Snowe . Also Thursday , 36 moderate House Democrats threatened to vote against the current health care bill the chamber 's leaders are drafting because they do n't believe it will sufficiently reduce long-term health care costs . In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-California , and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer , D-Maryland , the fiscally conservative Democrats cited recent testimony by Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf that indicated health care costs under the House legislation could rise after 10 years . Elmendorf `` has already indicated that the bill does nothing to rein in the costs of health care , and therefore may not be sustainable outside the 10-year budget window , '' the letter said . `` We will be unable to support any health care legislation that does n't meet the president 's goals of driving down and holding down the cost of health care , as determined by '' the CBO , the letter concluded . A Democratic leadership aide told CNN that final analysis from the Congressional Budget Office will be crucial to passing a bill in the House . `` If we do not get a reasonable sort of indication from CBO that we 're going to bend it , that will be a problem , '' the aide said of lowering costs in the future . House Democratic leaders learned earlier this week that the CBO projected their bill would cost $ 871 billion over 10 years and also reduce the deficit during that time . But the CBO was unable to assess what the impact would be in the next 10 years . Moderate Democrats have asked leaders for details about the long-term costs from CBO , but no final analysis has yet been released . Rep. John Barrow of Georgia , a leader of the fiscally conservative `` Blue Dog '' Democrats , initiated the letter because `` the question of cost is n't one that should be swept under the rug , '' said Barrow 's spokesperson , Jane Brodsky . CNN 's Dana Bash and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this story .
House Democrats propose leaving public options up to the Senate . Republicans , moderate Democrats oppose any public option . White is considered to be a trigger for a public option . House Democrats seek more information on long - term costs of bill .