We will have a public option, but it appears that the plan being worked out in Congress will fall short of what it needs to do — leaving more than 10 million Americans uninsured, limiting the public option available only to the currently uninsured and mandating that Americans buy insurance from the insurance companies.
As Dennis Kucinich asked today from the House floor, “is this the best we could do?”
“Is this the best we can do? Forcing people to buy private health insurance, guaranteeing at least $50 billion in new business for the insurance companies?
“Is this the best we can do? Government negotiates rates which will drive up insurance costs, but the government won’t negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies which will drive up pharmaceutical costs.
“Is this the best we can do? Only 3% of Americans will go to a new public plan, while currently 33% of Americans are either uninsured or underinsured?
“Is this the best we can do? Eliminating the state single payer option, while forcing most people to buy private insurance.
“If this is the best we can do, then our best isn’t good enough and we have to ask some hard questions about our political system: such as Health Care or Insurance Care? Government of the people or a government of the corporations.”
Howard Dean may be right that this is a step in the right direction, but with a strong Congressional and Senate majority, the Democrats had a responsibility to stand up for us and not for the insurance companies.
Hank Kalet 
It's a bad idea and once it's done, it can't be undone. It's going to be the straw that breaks the Treasury's back. Unfortunately, the children and grandchildren will have to pay for it. Argh, how stupid can we be?