No plan is without a downside. There are a ton of cons to the public option - it will drive up insurance premiums and eliminate some of the plans that Americans are happy with. It will crowd out some small insurers and stifle innovation in the insurance market. It will rely on some sort of rationing to keep down costs in the same way that insurance companies do, but perhaps on an even larger scale. It will create problems with patient privacy. It will cost a great deal of money that could go to paying down the debt and decreasing the financial burden on our children.