Legislative glossary
Public option
Definition
A government-run health insurance plan offered alongside private plans on the exchange.
Why it matters
A public option is a government-run insurance plan sold alongside private ones, meant to compete on price rather than replace the market. It sits at the center of American health-policy fights because it splits both coalitions: too much government for industry and conservatives, too little for single-payer advocates. Several states have now built their own versions.
In the game
In The Bill to Law Game's Healthcare Access pack, the public option is the centerpiece provision of the hardest bill in the game: maximum impact, maximum opposition.
Comes up alongside