While he understands why Democrats in the Senate made the changes they have to health care reform legislation, including dropping the public option, U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, said their version of the bill is unlikely to pass in the House.

In an interview with Des Moines Register columnist Kathie Obradovich, Braley said the bill would have to “improve significantly” in order to garner enough support in the House for passage.

I asked him if the bill has to have a public option to pass the House. He said it has to have “a difference-maker in terms of increasing competition in the insurance market.”

He also said they need more leadership from President Obama and the White House: “I think there’s been great frustration about when the White House and the president are going to set their clear expectations about what it is going to take for them to have a health care bill that meets their criteria for meaningful and comprehensive reform.”

Braley’s comments came after U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, told reporters that even if the Senate bill isn’t perfect, it’s a good start and should be abandoned.