Democrats believe Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' push for a government-run healthcare plan is an uphill battle, no matter who ends up winning the presidency in November.
Obamacare advocate Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told The Hill that "the public option was a good idea in 2009, and it's still a good idea today. I don't know that the politics have changed at all on it."
A public insurance option was dropped when the Affordable Care Act was being drafted, but the idea is on the upswing again among top Democrats, The Hill reports.
Sanders posted a statement calling for a "Medicare-for all single-payer system" in response to Aetna announcing its exit from the Obamacare exchanges.
The Vermont lawmaker said health care should not be dependent on insurance companies and "that is why we need to join every other major country on Earth and guarantee health care to all as a right, not a privilege."
Sanders said he would reintroduce legislation regarding that in the next Congress session, "hopefully as a part of the Democratic Senate majority," expressing a desire that Democrats would take the Senate majority in the November elections.
According to The Hill, Sanders hopes to chair the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which would put him in prime position for the fight over healthcare.
Clinton said in July that she she supports a government-run insurance option, according to Bloomberg.
Only Maryland Rep. Chris Von Hollen, out of 11 Democrats that appear likely to win Senate seats in the election, is also pushing for it as he campaigns, Bloomberg reported.
Democrats remember the fight to put Obamacare in place in 2009 and 2010, which led to losing the majority in the House of Representative, reports The Hill.
"Any public option would be a hard sell. It would be like 2009 all over again. It's probably a pipe dream," Physicians Practice managing editor Gabriel Perna said.
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