There is an important corollary to this - not sure if it should be a separate question or not - and that's what qualifies as a "strong" public option. A public plan that cannot charge lower prices than private insurance, that cannot bargain with providers, that can't do the things that are the whole POINT of a public plan, is little better than none at all. Yet that "level playing field" nonsense seems to be the Democratic bargaining position. Wouldn't want to be unfair to the wee insurers, now would we...