Study: Public Option may Not Lower the Uninsured Rate

From Fierce Healthcare:

Launching a public option on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) exchanges could lower premiums but isn’t likely to make a significant dent in the number of people without insurance, a new study shows.

Researchers at RAND Corporation modeled four scenarios in which a public option was offered on the ACA’s insurance exchanges and found premiums would be between 10% and 27% lower than private plans due to lower provider payment rates.

However, a public option was less impactful on the uninsured rate, according to the study. In three of the models, the number of people without coverage declined between 3% and 8%, while in the fourth it declined marginally.