Health care experts have long said that a public health insurance option not only would provide lower-cost health insurance for those who choose it but would also force private insurers to lower their premiums. A public option was a key element of the 2009 House-passed version of health care reform, but it did not make it to the final bill.

Now, as lawmakers focus on deficit reduction, with many Republicans calling for cuts in health care benefits and shifting even more costs to working families, the creation of a public option as a deficit-reducing tool—along with its other benefits—is back on the table.

I’m at a Netroots Nation panel with some folks who have been on the front lines of state battles in Wisconsin and Missouri, along with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).  In the panel, they’re discussing their on-the-ground experiences, and how their strategies can be used by other states facing similar challenges (and, ultimately, used to build a national movement to take back the American Dream).

Netroots Nation, the annual conference for online activists, is on next week, June 16-19, in Minneapolis. The union movement has a big presence there, as we seek to work more closely with our progressive allies in the netroots community. Here are some highlights:

• AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler is taking part in a June 17 lunch panel to talk about breaking down economic barriers that keep many Americans from moving ahead, especially young people, women and communities of color. She is joined by communications consultant Anat Shenker-Osorio and hip-hop artist Rha Goddess.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) introduced legislation today that would add fairness to the nation’s tax system by ensuring that millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share.