So much attention has been given in recent weeks in the halls of Congress to the battle over a public health insurance option.  And yet, there are so many more potential land mines out there for Democrats in a health reform bill.

But the idea of a government-run insurance arm, solely intended to force insurance companies to lower their prices, has turned into the litmus test of all litmus tests in this health reform debate.

"US public health option gathers steam," reported Reuters on Sunday.

"Senate Mods Warm to Public Option Compromise," reported Fox News.

"Prognosis improves for public option," read the headline in the Saturday Washington Post.

So, on the face of things, it's almost looking like a slam dunk, eh?

Maybe I'm covering a different debate right now, because it doesn't seem that simple to me.  Or maybe I'm just being naive.

Of course, everything changes if you can't get sixty votes in the Senate.

And right now, Democrats certainly don't have sixty votes on a public insurance option, even the latest trial balloon floated that would let states opt-out of such a system.

One other interesting twist surfaced Sunday on Politico.com, talking about how Democrats want to move up the effective date of some of these extra health coverage policies, instead of having people wait several years for them to take effect.

Once again, I will say, the Senate is where this debate is going to be something for the legislative history books.

Stay tuned.