Insurers Sank Connecticut's 'Public Option.' Would A National Version Survive?
Health care costs were rising. People couldn't afford coverage. So, in Connecticut, state lawmakers took action.
Their solution was to attempt to create a public health insurance option, managed by the state, which would ostensibly serve as a low-cost alternative for people who couldn't afford private plans.
Immediately, an aggressive industry mobilized to kill the idea. Despite months of lobbying, debate and organizing, the proposal was dead on arrival.
"That bill was met with a steam train of opposition," recalls state Rep. Sean Scanlon, who chairs the legislature's insurance and real estate committee.
Through a string of presidential debates, the idea of a public option has been championed by moderate Democrats ― such as former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and
