Liberal forces push for public option as insurers bail out of Obamacare

If Obamacare is in crisis, the Left isn't letting that crisis go to waste.

As insurers flee Obamacare marketplaces, Democrats and liberals are trying to revive a controversial solution they once had to abandon. That's the creation of a "public option" government-run healthcare plan, which would compete against private insurance plans sold in the new state marketplaces set up under the Affordable Care Act.

While a public option is a political non-starter among Republicans, who want to scale back government involvement in healthcare, Democrats increasingly see it as their solution to the dwindling choices available in the marketplaces.

Five senators, backed by a coalition led by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, introduced a resolution last week calling for a public option in every marketplace. The coalition has set up a website to make its case, pointing to polls showing that a majority of voters, including GOP voters, support the idea.

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