… A decade ago, the issue created such deep internal divisions among Senate Democrats that they ultimately dropped the idea from their bill, even though the public option was strongly favored by many liberals and a majority of House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
But now, with two of the leading Democratic presidential candidates, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, calling for a government-controlled single-payer “Medicare for all” system as they compete for support of the party’s liberal wing, a public option is looking like a safe moderate position and even a realistic policy goal. …
About two-thirds of voters like the idea of a public option or Medicare buy-in, according to several recent national polls. This month, the Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll, which has asked voters about the plan four times since July, found that 65 percent of the public favors the idea, compared with 53 percent who support “Medicare for all.” CONT.
Abby Goodnough, New York Times