Louise Norris, clearest of expositors, has some mildly ambiguous wording here that set off a lightbulb:
Colorado enacted legislation in 2019 that directed the state to explore ways to create a public option health insurance program that could offer a lower-cost alternative for people who buy their own health insurance.Eureka: Why doesn't a state offer a public option off-exchange only? That would solve the dilemma caused by the ACA's underfunded subsidies: measures that reduce ACA marketplace premiums for unsubsidized buyers tend to raise them for subsidized buyers. (Colorado is not moving toward this option.) N.B. in most states, ACA-compliant plans are offered off-exchange as well as on-exchange. This public option would be ACA compliant.
