(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Another Krugman must read, and the case for a public option [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-07-01
In a piece titled Republicans Beware: Medicaid Is Not a Soft Target, Krugman discusses aspects of Medicaid that might surprise people. It is more cost effective than private insurance at around 25% cheaper. It covers over 22% of Americans up from 14% in 2008. It is viewed favorably even among Republicans who view it 74% somewhat and very favorably combined.
These statistics can be attributed to the ACA in my opinion. Guidelines were improved under the ACA, as well as negotiation power, which affected costs. Expansion under the ACA increased the number people it covered. Exposure to coverage under medicaid burnished its reputation as client friendly. That last bit is precisely why Red States held out on expansion as long as politically possible.
This points to a public option as the next logical step forward towards universal healthcare access. It can be sold politically as providing more coverage choices and people like choices. In addition, if past is prologue it also lays the groundwork for Medicare for All.
Medicare for All is a harder sell at the current time for a couple of reasons. For starters, it amounts to taking away choices. People dislike that even if means taking away bad choices. On top of that, Medicaid for All is not as popular as top line polling results would have you believe.
I forget which poll it was, but it was taken around the time of the 2020 election and it did a deep dive into this question. The top line was in line with most polls showing over 60% support for Medicare for All. It also asked those in support to describe Medicare for All, and wjat the majority described was pretty much a public option.
That said, given the political impact of medicaid expansion, a public option would make Medicare for All an easier sell down the road. The more people recieve government coverage, the less desirable private coverage gets.
In the interest of full disclosure, while I am not an opponent of Medicare for All, I am not a supporter either as currently conceived. I think a bifurcated system with ordinary care covered a la Medicare for All, and mandatory, private, premium sibsidized coverage a la the ACA for extraordinary care is a better solution. That said, it isn't a litmus test in so far as I consistently vote for primary candidates who run on Medicare for All.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/7/1/2331141/-Another-Krugman-must-read-and-the-case-for-a-public-option
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
