Washington to offer public option health care plan

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), a long-shot presidential candidate, signed a law this week that will make his state the first in the nation to offer a public option health plan to compete with private companies, renewing debate over an approach that first gained prominence a decade ago.

The new health care plans -- which will cover standard services and be available to all state residents by 2021 -- are expected to be up to 10 percent cheaper than private insurance.

  The Hill

Kudos. But they better get it right, or it will set back the drive for a national public option by years.

“Washington does offer a chance to test that on a smaller scale,” said Jennifer Tolbert, director of state health reform at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “As Washington moves forward, it will help provide a test case for how a broader initiative could play out.”

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Washington’s new law is similar to the public option that was included in early drafts of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, but stripped out due to opposition from moderate Democrats on Capitol Hill.

In all, six states are considering a public option in some capacity.