In a town-hall meeting she conducted last night by telephone, Kilroy said any reform of the health system will result in private insurance companies still covering two-thirds of Americans. "We want to be sure at the end of the day we will be lowering the costs of health care," she said. "Nothing to be afraid of there."

But Kilroy, D-Columbus, asserted that any reform plan should include a federal insurance program that would compete with private insurers, saying that "a public option in competition with private insurance can reduce costs for all of us."

"If you have insurance right now, you shouldn't worry about a public option," she said.

During the one-hour conference call, Kilroy answered questions from 17 people. Aides to Kilroy said about 2,800 people were on the call.

The questions were all polite. Kilroy staffers screened the calls before questions were asked.

jtorry@dispatch.com