A public option refers to a health insurance program that a state or the federal government would make available to consumers as an option along with the existing private health insurance plans. A private insurer or any private company could run a public option. A public option was considered during debate over the Affordable Care Act in 2009 and 2010 but was dropped before the law was passed. Since then, several states have begun discussions about implementing a public option and Washington State implemented such an option in 2020. Colorado made a public option available in 2023, and officials in Nevada are forming such a program for implementation in 2025.
