The Obama administration says a public option may be required to fix ObamaCare, which is facing skyrocketing premiums and seeing major insurance companies cutting their plans.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest argues that a public option would help create more competition for private health insurance companies.
“Added competition in all 50 states would, we believe, have the effect of further challenging private health insurance companies to improve their offerings and reduce their prices,” Earnest said during the White House press briefing on Wednesday.
Obama is planning to deliver a major speech about Obamacare in Miami, Florida on Thursday, where he is expected to address some of the growing problems with his signature legislative achievement.
But Earnest admitted that despite Obama’s proposed solutions, it would be up for the next president to offer a solution.
“Maybe the next batch of members of Congress will and hopefully we’ll have a president, like the candidate that President Obama has endorsed, who is determined to build on the remarkable success of the Affordable Care Act,” he said.