President Joe Biden campaigned on the idea, touting it as an achievable reform that would bring down costs without upending private health insurance. It consistentlyYet the obstacles are many: universal opposition from Republican lawmakers, reluctance among centrist Democrats who wield outsized influence, a powerful health industry ready to spend big to block it, and a long list of priorities for a new administration still pouring energy and political capital into ending the pandemic.
Democratic politics have moved left since centrist lawmakers jettisoned a public option from the original Affordable Care Act legislation back in 2009. At the time, a government-run health plan was seen as too radical. But as progressive calls for a fully government-run “Medicare For All”-type system have gotten louder in the intervening years, the public option has become classic Biden middle ground — popular with independents and even some Republican voters.
“Biden is well aware that the only part of the Democratic primary that anyone will remember is the debate between the public option and Medicare for All,” said a longtime Democratic health care expert who’s worked with him. “I don’t see him saying, ‘Never mind.’” The message, he said, should be along the lines of: “This isn't a government takeover of health care, it's the government facilitating new options and helping address the cost of health care.”
The big Democratic health advocacy groups are holding off on pushing for a public option, at least right now. Democratic aides are managing expectations, noting it would likely have to pass through the process known as reconciliation, which requires just a simple majority vote in both chambers but must adhere to complex budgetary rules. Democrats couldn’t afford a single defection in the Senate.
Still, Democratic lawmakers and aides say there’s a real chance the public option could get lumped into a reconciliation package later this year, along with other priorities like boosted infrastructure spending, climate change, immigration and even drug pricing reform. And it’s even more likely to be included if it’s structured as a major cost saver.
Maybe a public health plan could replace the extremely complicated Medicaid Plans. Many states are not allowing low income folk to be covered. This impacts hospitals as these uninsured do not count as part of Medicaid support. Can have consequences on hospital payments received.
I am Iranian: Biden wants to donate money to the most terrorist government in history,and the sanctions that cut off the financial vein of Iranian terrorists will be lifted with the help of the left in USA,and the whole world will be involved in terror and killing innocent people
Difficult to get behind this when the government couldn’t organize a piss up in a brewery
Our primary concern right now must be upending all attempts by the GQP to legislate restrictive voting & obstruction laws in many states. We must pass HR1 & protect our right to vote. Protect democracy & the right to vote for every registered American voter.🌄💗🇺🇲📜⚖️👍🏾👍👍🏿👍🏼👍🏻😷
It’s an open door. Most Americans would welcome the chance to participate...and if private Medecine wants to compete...have at it...
Never happen. What happened to trumps healthcare plan? They all lie
Yes, doing the thing that has been shown repeatedly to have overwhelming popular support in virtually every poll is 'risky'.
“It's time to go big on gov healthcare' the problem is priv health insurance n pharma corps employ millions With gov Medicare they'd be out of jobs
cnn npr AOC SenSanders SenatorDurbin SenWarren We demand free health care if our tax money pays for your health care give us our money back publicly post your taxes where do you get your money
Most forward-thinking countries have public healthcare and it works just fine. Of course Americans wouldn’t know anything about it because they’ve never had it.