The unfortunate reality of the health care debate is that no one is willing to debate the only issue that matters: containing costs. Let's not pretend that a 'public option' will do so any more than the Pentagon's purchasing schemes have somehow kept the cost of screwdrivers to a manageable level. The only proven way to contain costs is to have people pay for their own health care as much as possible. Having a third party pay for easily affordable costs such as a standard doctor's visit or a reasonable monthly regimen of pharmaceuticals is simply a recipe for cost inflation.