Using Atlas data, researchers assess public option plan’s impact on increasing competition and lowering health insurance premiums in California
A new issue brief from The Commonwealth Fund highlights University of California, Berkeley research on a proposed public option health plan called Golden Choice. Researchers used data from IHA’s California Healthcare Cost & Quality Atlas to assess the potential impact of Golden Choice. Their findings show the public option would have the lowest premiums in 14 of 19 Covered California regions and save $243 million in one year.
In the issue brief, the authors highlight the need for a new type of public option plan in California where provider organizations accept the financial risk for providing healthcare services. Key points in the brief include:
- What a public option health plan is and why they have had limited success to-date
- The need for a public option to mitigate rising health insurance premiums and deductibles
- How Golden Choice would work
- How IHA’s Atlas data helped researchers assess the competitive impact of Golden Choice
- Estimated cost savings and feasibility of Golden Choice