Maybe someday they will get it. 90% of people on Medicare are happy with it, and it already covers the most expensive segment (medically) of the population. Covering everyone else in the Medicare system would eliminate $400B a year in medical administrative costs while adding mostly healthy people to the mix. That alone could probably cover the 45M americans who are currently uninsured.

The public option is seen by many on the left and right as a tool to get to single payer, but it doesn't need to be. it will also give private insurance one last chance to get it right. If they can out-do the public insurance option on price and/or quality they will survive. If they can't, they don't deserve to.

The ones you need to be concerned about are the ill people seeking medical care, not the insurance companies skimming off the system while denying life saving care to the sick.