I get the feeling that a lot of people are distrustful of health care reform because they don't understand it, which is exactly what the insurance industry wants. When the debate gets painted as the devil you know vs. the devil you don't know, the former almost always wins. When a public option gets painted as something "new", people are understandably wary. New things have bugs and kinks that need to be worked out, and may fail completely. This is why healthcare reform and a public option could profit from being referred to as expanding Medicare or Medicare you can buy.
Most people can't be bothered to understand the ins and outs of health care reform. Most people can't even be bothered to understand the ins and outs of the current system (which is, admittedly, a tall order). Krugman made this point very well this morning, which inspired this diary.
Medicare for all, or Medicare you can buy, are quick, simple explanations people can understand without too much, well, explaining. Medicare is something most Americans accept and are comfortable with. We all expect and hope to get Medicare later in life, and it's comforting in a way.And just try to get a Congressperson to explain how and why Medicare is such a bad thing. (Seriously, do it. That would be so awesome.)
From a policy perspective, just expanding Medicare to younger people makes sense too, because the already established infrastructure will make healthcare reform a whole lot simpler.