WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- House Democratic leaders are mulling the addition of a measure that radically shakes up the student-loan industry to a fast track legislative tactic they plan to use to conclude the health-care overhaul.

In recent days, the idea of adding the sweeping higher education legislation to the second of two health-care bills expected to come before the House in the coming weeks appears to be gaining steam.

Rep. George Miller (D., Calif.), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said Wednesday the chances of the education bill being added to the health-care mix are "pretty good".

Miller said the issue was discussed extensively at a meeting Tuesday between House and Senate leaders and senior White House officials, including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. The matter is expected to be considered further at another leadership meeting later Wednesday.

Miller has been the main House champion for the education bill and has strongly advocated its central feature of ending private bank involvement in originating student loans through a government-backed program. He is also a close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and a major player in the push to overhaul health care.

For Miller, using the fast-track procedure known as reconciliation is probably the best chance he has to see the education overhaul bill passed through Congress.

It has been held up in the Senate over the concerns of a large number of moderate Democrats who are opposed to ending private involvement in the student-loan market.

Using reconciliation would only require 51 votes rather than the 60 votes generally needed to pass controversial measures in the Senate.

House Democratic leaders also hope that by adding the education bill to the health-care vehicle, they might win the support from some wavering members for the wider package. Education is a top priority for many left-leaning House Democrats.

The problem, however, is that the same moderate Democrats in the Senate who have concerns about the student-lending proposal could threaten to withhold their support from the health-care bill if the education legislation is attached.

Several senior Democratic aides said Wednesday, it was too difficult at this stage to conclude whether adding the education measure would hurt or harm the chances of successfully concluding health-care overhaul efforts.

About a dozen Senate Democrats have publicly expressed concerns about one aspect or another of the student-loan overhaul plan.

As recently as Tuesday, six moderate lawmakers signed a letter detailing their unease with the proposal.

That plan would prohibit private involvement in the origination of student loans, replacing them with direct loans to students from the federal government. Lenders could bid to compete in a much more limited role to service the loans after they're made.

In its most recent estimate, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the proposal would generate $67 billion in savings. Democrats plan to reinvest that savings to boost grants for low-income students.

The savings estimate is considerably reduced from the CBO's original forecast of $94 billion last year, when the policy was first proposed.

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