Senator Susan Collins, one of two moderate Republicans from Maine, has joined her Pine Tree State colleague Olympia Snowe, indicating today that she could support Democrat-led health care reform efforts under the right conditions.  Snowe and Collins are currently the only members of the Senate Republican caucus to issue public (albeit tentative) statements in support of the bill.

During an interview with the Associated Press, Collins said, "My hope is that we can fix the flaws in the bill and come together with a truly bipartisan bill that could garner widespread support.  I think this bill is far superior to the ones passed by the Senate committee and the three House committees, but it needs substantial additional work."

However, it remains highly unlikely that Collins would ultimately support a plan that includes a "public option," the low-premium program envisioned by Democrats that would allow the government to sell health care insurance to a select group of Americans.

Collins went on to praise Snowe's leadership on the healthcare issue: "Due, in large measure, to the efforts of Senator Olympia Snowe, who has worked tirelessly, the legislation passed by the Senate Finance Committee represents a substantial improvement over the costly and flawed alternative approved by the Senate Health Committee as well as the House bills."