A PO is a good idea, but left has lost perspective. The rest of bill--universal cov,ending discrim. based on preexisting cond. --more impt.
I've written this many times before but it always bears repeating. Alter is missing a very crucial aspect of the public option. "Universal cov" invariably means individual and employer mandates, and without the public option, mandates would force, under penalty of law, everyone to buy a policy from the private insurance cartels -- the very corporations that have so thoroughly screwed so many people. Additionally, the backlash against such an enormous corporate windfall would amount to political suicide.
Universal healthcare and a public option are inseparable. No middle ground here. No public option, no universal coverage. Sorry, Jonathan.
Adding... I'm still not a Twitter person, so feel free to "tweet" Alter with this idea.