Ezra Klein summarizes the new health care push

There's not a lot of policy news in the president's new health-care plan. The changes are pretty much what we expected: more money going to subsidies (which are now being referred to as "the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history"), an excise tax that kicks in later and affects fewer plans, a new Health Insurance Rate Authority to oversee premium increases and reject them if they're unfair, the elimination of the Nebraska deal, and so on. There's no public option, nor any significant retrenchment. In fact, the cost of the bill has increased by $75 billion, the result of more generous subsidies.

What I'd like to see — if this is going to pass — is a tougher penalty for not signing up.  Ezra also discusses the politics of where it is headed.

Addendum: Megan McArdle says it won't happen.