Federal legislation to implement a public option is not new. Congress considered bills that would have created a federal public option plan during the debate over the Affordable Care Act in 2009. Read about these efforts in the resources below.

• The Origins and Demise of the Public Option (Health Affairs, 2010)
• How A New ‘Public Plan’ Could Affect Hospitals’ Finances and Private Insurance Premiums (Health Affairs, 2009)
• Is the Public Plan Option a Necessary Part of Health Reform? (Urban Institute, 2009)
• Public Health Insurance Plan (Health Affairs, 2009)
• The Public Option and Insurance Exchange in the House Bill (Health Affairs, 2009)
• The Public-Plan Option: A Roundtable with Stuart Butler, Jacob Hacker, and Len Nichols (Health Affairs, 2009)