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RALEIGH (AP) — Sen. Sen. Kay Hagan said today she is willing to consider health care co-ops as an alternative to a government-backed public option, signaling that she's receptive to some of the same compromises as her GOP counterpart.

Hagan said in an interview with The Associated Press that she continues to support a plan to provide a government alternative to private insurance. But the freshman Democrat said a co-op may also have benefits, noting that it could be more agile if offered on a state or regional level.

"The states can respond quicker to citizens versus, in many cases, the federal government," Hagan said. "So I would be open to looking at a co-op plan."

The comments could prove a source of middle ground for Hagan and fellow North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican who has been adamantly opposed to more government involvement in health care. Burr has also said that he would consider a co-op plan, so long as it covers all Americans, stresses prevention and doesn't increase taxes.

Both lawmakers stressed that they haven't seen any specific proposals on what the co-op plans would look like. The plans are generally designed as nonprofit, member-run systems for providing insurance.

The White House has pushed for a government-run health insurance option, but the administration seemed to back off the idea in recent weeks, suggesting that it wasn't the key component of the overhaul.

Hagan continued Thursday to promote the government-backed public option that she voted for in her health committee before returning to North Carolina for the August recess. She wants it to come with a variety of other changes: incentives to get students into primary care, rules to prevent insurance companies from denying coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, a focus on wellness and prevention, and the adoption of electronic medical records.

She insisted that the private market would remain vibrant despite the newfound competition. She has insisted that any government-backed option have the same solvency rules so that private insurers can still keep pace.

"If I know the marketplace, the market is going to figure this out," she said. "That's why I've never been in support of a single-payer system. I don't think we ought to put private industry out of business. I strongly believe in competition and a strong market."