So says at least one senator…

Health care reform legislation will be on President Barack Obama’s desk by Christmas, Americans will be mandated to buy insurance and those who can’t afford coverage will have a public option — or maybe they won’t, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, told reporters from around the country today.

Four of the five committees that have approved legislation “will have a public option,” as an alternative for people who can’t afford private coverage, he said during a teleconference organized by Families USA, a health consumers advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.