NYT Vs. NYT on Public Option

The New York Times today has an editorial urging support for a public option.  The Times quotes the CBO, which has suggested that even a weakened public option could lower costs.  On the op-ed page, Paul Starr argues that the public option, as currently proposed will not save money. I have previously suggested that the public option might actually lead to higher prices and higher overall costs through decreasing health plan leverage in some markets.