Here's a snap shot of the progress Obama, Dems are making toward passing a bill with a public option

Sen. Jack Reed defended the Democratic approach to overhaul the health-care system Tuesday in an Internet exchange with readers that broke little news but underlined some persistent public worries, such as the price of medical coverage and the prospects for improvement under President Obama’s plan.

“Health-insurance reform has been nearly two decades in the making,” Reed wrote during an online chat with readers of Projo.com, using the term that Mr. Obama has begun to favor when referring to the drive to remake the health-care system.

“We still have a long way to go before passing it through Congress and getting it to President Obama’s desk,” Reed replied to a reader who wrote that “the government is trying to shove a health plan down our throats.” The Democrat enumerated the congressional hearings held and legislative amendments being considered in the still-unfinished process.

Reed’s hourlong chat featured few of the fiery exchanges that some town meetings with public officials have seen this month.

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Reed reiterated his support for the public option, a government medical insurance plan that would compete with private insurance plans. That proposal has come under heavy fire during the August debates.