In the run-up to the 2016 Democratic National Convention , the Democratic Platform Committee approved a plank supporting the addition of a public option onto the Affordable Care Act . The decision was seen as a compromise measure between the Hillary Clinton campaign who during the 2016 presidential primaries advocated for keeping and reforming the ACA , and the Bernie Sanders campaign who advocated for repealing and replacing the ACA with a single-payer Medicare for All program . The Clinton campaign stated shortly before the plank was added that as president Clinton would " pursue efforts to give Americans in every state in the country the choice of a public-option insurance plan " , while Bernie Sanders applauded the decision to " see that all Americans have the right to choose a public option in their health care exchange , which will lower the cost of healthcare " . The call was echoed by President Obama , who in an article for the American Medical Association stated that Congress " should revisit a public plan to compete alongside private insurers in areas of the country where competition is limited . " The purpose behind the public option was to make more affordable health insurance for uninsured citizens who are either unable to afford the rates of or are rejected by private health insurers . Supporters argued that a government insurance company could successfully lower its rates by using greater leverage than private industry when negotiating with hospitals and doctors , as well as paying the employees of the public option insurance company salaries as opposed to paying based on individual medical procedures
2016 Democratic National Convention
2016 Democratic National Convention
Public health insurance option