The way the govt thinks

"One compromise idea that's been tossed around is a trigger mechanism that would mandate a public option in the future if thresholds for expanded coverage and lower costs go unmet."

In other words, if expanding public healthcare does not do well, there should be a mechanism to expand it further.

Taking a page from Colbert, this has the trait of logiciness, that on the surface it might seem to have some logic behind it, but underneath it there is no logic at all, other than the governments never ending quest for power and expansion.