Washington to offer first 'public option' insurance in US
Source: Associated Press
By TOM JAMES
today
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SEATTLE (AP) — Washington is set to become the first state to enter the private health insurance market with a universally available public option.
A set of tiered public plans will cover standard services and are expected to be up to 10% cheaper than comparable private insurance, thanks in part to savings from a cap on rates paid to providers. But unlike existing government-managed plans, Washington’s public plans are set to be available to all residents regardless of income by 2021.
. . .
The move thrusts Washington into the national debate over the government’s role in health care, with a hybrid model that puts the state to the left of market-only approaches but stops short of a completely public system.
Instead, the state will dictate the terms of the public option plans but hire private insurance companies to administer them, saving the state from having to create a new bureaucracy — and guaranteeing a role for the insurance industry in managing the new public option.
Read more: https://apnews.com/3370e660b151433a95633f21d3f4d85d
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This sounds very similar to the public option the ACA was supposed to have and can still be added when we get the senate and house.
The Republicans went nuclear over it, And Lieberman threatened to filibuster to keep the ACA from being passed at all. Of course. Over time more and more people would have chosen the public option until it strongly dominated.
Well, until we pass it federally, hope other states follow Washington’s lead.
