States Seek to Improve Affordability, Expand Coverage with "Public Option" and Medicaid Buy-In Proposals

The January 2020 Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll finds that 68 percent of Americans would support a government-run “public option” plan to compete with private health plans. This type of support prompted a wave of activity during the 2019 state legislative sessions, when at least 10 states debated adoption of a public option-type plan to improve coverage affordability and reduce the numbers of uninsured. Our new report, States Seek to Improve Affordability, Expand Coverage Through Public Option and Medicaid Buy-in Proposals, documents this activity and assesses the opportunities and challenges for states to enact a public option plan. MORE