Sanders revs up ‘public option’ fight after Aetna leaves ObamaCare

[still_one]

60. A public option is more likely to occur before single payer, unless the political landscape changes

significantly. The public Option would essentially allow citizens and permanent residents to buy into something like the Medicare program.

People covered by other employer plans or by plans such as Medicare would not be eligible. In the public option, the plan would be financed entirely by premiums without subsidy from the Federal government.

A single payer type system is financed through taxes, and has no cost to the person seeking medical treatment. That I believe is unlikely to occur in the near term. That resembles true socialized medicine.

A public option also could take different forms. It could be setup to compete against private insurance plans, or take the form of allowing the public to buy into the public Medicare program.

The Democratic Platform Committee approved a plank supporting the addition of a public option onto the Affordable Care Act. In 2013 Jan Schakowsky and other Democrats in the House introduced a bill that would amend the ACA to create a public option. The bill would setup a government-run health insurance plan with premiums 5% to 7% lower premiums than private insurance.

One thing is essential for any public option plan, is that those who are not covered under another insurance plan, must be required to participate

To your question, "Do we need a public option?"

I would answer generally yes, but the details of that public option are critical