Amid failures of Obamacare's health care co-ops, Democrats plan to push their chips all-in with a government-run public health-care option now,
The Washington Times reported Thursday.
The move can be credited to the progressive influence of Sen. Bernie Sanders, pushing Hillary Clinton and the 2016 Democratic platform further to the left instead of ceding ground to the congressional Republican's sway toward scaling back government involvement in health care, he wrote.
"This campaign is about moving the United States toward universal health care and reducing the number of people who are uninsured or underinsured," Sanders told the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday. "Hillary Clinton wants to see that all Americans have the right to choose a public option in their health care exchange."
Co-ops, non-profit consumer operated and oriented health care plans, were introduced by the Democrats as a designed compromise to get the program passed in lieu of a public option in 2009, but they have been failing to compete in the marketplace and have opted out. The Times reported 16 of the original 23 co-ops have withdrawn from the Affordable Care Act's web exchange.
The move now appears to be all-in on a government-run public option, despite both the House and Senate being controlled by the GOP.
"When its big programs fail, the left's answer is always bigger programs," Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said. "With co-op failures and crummy choices and costs, the Affordable Care Act's central planning has been a disaster. It makes no sense for politicians to double down, especially when they're gambling with the livelihoods of American families."
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