Legislation would provide 26 million Americans with a high-quality, affordable public option
Washington, DC – Building on the success of the Inflation Reduction Act provisions to put high-quality health care within reach for more Americans, U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) have introduced the Consumer Health Options and Insurance Competition Enhancement (CHOICE) Act to add a publicly operated health insurance option to the Affordable Care Act’s individual marketplaces. The bicameral measure would drive competition and guarantee American consumers access to an affordable, high-quality plan in every insurance market in the country.
“Democrats have expanded access to affordable, high-quality health care to millions of Americans, and this is the long-overdue next step” said Whitehouse, who co-authored public option legislation during the drafting of the Affordable Care Act. “A low-cost, high-quality public option will bolster competition in the marketplace and level the playing field for consumers. I’m proud that the Ocean State has one of the lowest rates of uninsured residents in the country, and I’m going to keep up the fight until every single Rhode Islander is covered.”
About 97 percent of Rhode Islanders currently have health insurance. Prior to passage of the Affordable Care Act, 11.6 percent of Ocean State residents were not covered.
“All Ohioans should have access to affordable, quality healthcare coverage. It’s why we introduced this legislation to give Ohioans the choice to join a Medicare-like plan if they want, while helping to lower costs for everyone by increasing competition in the market,” said Brown.
“I am committed to ensuring that every person in the United States has access to quality, affordable health care. As a long-time advocate for a public option, I am proud to stand with Senators Whitehouse and Brown today to re-introduce the CHOICE Act,” said Schakowsky, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “This legislation would expand access to coverage, increase competition, and lower premiums for millions of Americans and small businesses. It is time that we give people the option to purchase affordable coverage of their choice.”
The Affordable Care Act set up health insurance marketplaces to make it easier for consumers to shop for insurance and drive insurers to compete on the low prices of their plans. The marketplaces have been extremely effective in expanding coverage. While Democrats have made real progress in their fight to expand the Affordable Care Act, nearly 26 million Americans are still uninsured. A public option would tackle the uninsured rate by stimulating competition and driving down prices with a stable coverage choice.
The CHOICE Act would create a public health insurance option subject to the same requirements that apply to other plans offered on Affordable Care Act exchanges. It would offer the same tax credits available to individual marketplace consumers as well as essential, comprehensive benefits.
The CHOICE Act is endorsed by the Center for American Progress. The full text of the bill is available here.
