The Center for American Progress's paper advocating a public insurance option inadvertently does a good explaining my doubts about this debate's importance to health reform. But first, it's worth quickly explaining what a public insurance option is a separating the three types of public insurance plans that are being used in conversation: What Is a Public Insurance Option? The buzzword in health reform is "choice." Every plan under serious consideration offers Americans a choice of private insurers operating under government regulation. So you'll be able to compare the benefit packages, prices, networks, and satisfaction ratings of various health insurers and decide which makes the most sense for your family. A public insurance option would simply mean that one of these choices is a government-run insurer. It's not single payer. It's public-private competition. You like the private offerings better? Choose them. Prefer that your insurer isn't driven by profit? Go public. It's up to you. But a public insurance option can be structured in a number of ways. And the structure matters. The three most common proposals are:
