Ezra Klein of the Washington Post has said a version of this already today, but it’s worth repeating. There is only a very, very slim chance that the individual mandate will be repealed by Congress, despite Politico’s contention that the policy might be on the ropes thanks to four Democratic senators.

As Ezra points out – and as I have in the past – there are viable alternatives to the individual mandate, the goal of which is to prevent Americans from purchasing health insurance only when they get sick. The alternatives to forcing people to buy insurance are so viable and the mandate so controversial, I’ll bet some Administration officials and congressional Democrats are kicking themselves for not considering them more seriously. But consider them seriously and publicly they did not. The health insurance industry, which is guaranteed a huge new base of consumers by the individual mandate, is part of the reason.

Yet, for the reasons it might seem possible, it’s hard for me to imagine the scenario Politico does, in which a few moderate Democrats lead a successful charge to reform or replace the individual mandate. The reason: politics.