According to the media and Senate Democrats, the public option has been dropped in favor of a quasi public option. This option would be based on nonprofit private health insurance companies but "heavily" regulated by the Office of Personnel Management.

What many people forget is the fact that the House bill would also have established Basic Health (the Senate's quasi public option) by requiring private insurance to offer basic health care along with the public option:

"An analysis by the CBO found that, for a basic health plan from an "exchange" created in the bill, premiums for a single person would be $5,300 by 2016, while a family of four would see a $15,000 premium. People making less than 400% of the income threshold for the federal poverty level would receive subsidies from the government to help offset that cost."
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091102-715403.html

Washington Post defines the subsidies in the House Health care bill:

"The House bill has subsidies up to 400 percent of poverty, which is equal to $43,320 for an individual and $88,200 for a family of four. At the bottom end -- 133 percent if income, as below that, you're eligible for Medicaid -- the subsidies limit your health premiums to 1.5 percent of income. At the top end -- 400 percent -- it's no more than 11 percent of income."
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/07/the_house_releases_its_health-.html

Shortly said: "Basic Health" has already been in healthcare reform legislature passed by the House of Representatives. Thus the public option has been replaced by something that has already been in the bill. That means the PUBLIC OPTION IS DEAD.

The Senate has not only dropped the option, Senate Democrats even have the courage to lie to us!