Bartlett Announces Plan to Sponsor A Public Healthcare Option on Day 1

~NJ-11 Congressional candidate targets healthcare costs caused by Washington’s dysfunction~

WAYNE, NJ – County Commissioner John Bartlett, a candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, today announced that among his first orders of business in Washington would be to sponsor a public health insurance option to bring down costs for North Jersey families and businesses.

“With New Jersey residents facing an average 16% health insurance premium hike for 2026, and the national average for employer coverage surpassing $27,000 per year, Washington’s dysfunction is now a line item in every family’s healthcare budget," Commissioner Bartlett said.

Bartlett argued that while political brinkmanship in D.C. may create good cable TV, New Jersey families are paying the price.

"I am calling for a Public Healthcare Option not as a political statement, but as an economic necessity to guarantee every American affordable and reliable coverage," Bartlett said. “A public option will increase competition for private health insurance companies, while lowering costs for those who already have coverage and giving families and small businesses a real choice that keeps prices down."

States are the laboratories of democracy, and Bartlett pointed to several states that have already taken the lead. Washington State launched the first public option in 2021 through its Cascade Care program and in 2024 average premium increases for Cascade Select plans were nearly 50% lower than non-Cascade plans, with an average rate increase of just 3%, versus 9% for other plans. Colorado followed with the Colorado Option in 2023, which requires insurers to meet specific cost-cutting targets. Nevada has passed its own public option and is preparing for a statewide rollout in 2026.

“States out west are proving this approach works, and north Jersey residents should benefit too,” Bartlett said. “A public option lowers costs, simplifies the system, and helps families who are exhausted by confusing plans and ever escalating prices.”

Bartlett’s proposal for a federal public option would:

• Provide affordable and reliable coverage for every American
• Create more competition for health insurance companies to help lower premiums
• Provide clear, straightforward pricing
• Give people a stable choice if they lose or change jobs
• Unlock north Jersey innovators from having to rely on their employer for health coverage while accelerating entrepreneurship and creating jobs

He emphasized his plan does not eliminate private insurance. It simply gives people another option, using market forces to offer affordable coverage for everyone, while creating increased competition to lower costs for those who are already covered.

“Families and small businesses deserve choices that work for them,” Bartlett said. “A public option keeps costs down. It also puts people over both politics and insurance companies. When someone is sick, they should be able to focus on getting care, not on how to pay for it, and a public option helps make that affordable.”

About John Bartlett

John Bartlett is running for Congress to put public service over self-service by making life more affordable for New Jersey families, and defending democracy from Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans. John has been fighting and winning these fights for years, beating Donald Trump and Republicans in court to protect vulnerable Americans and our right to vote. As a Passaic County Commissioner, John has a proven record protecting affordability: nine straight years of lowering the property tax rate and balancing budgets while improving services, building new parks and public schools, and bringing in $600 million in federal transportation funding to grow our region’s economy and make commutes safer and easier. John learned a lifelong dedication to service from his father, a country pediatrician, and he is ready to bring this fight for our shared values to Washington.
A graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School who also studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as a Raoul Wallenberg Scholar, he lives in Wayne with his wife, Dr. Khyati Joshi, and their college-age son.

For more information, visit www.johnbartlett.com and follow the campaign on X, Facebook, and Instagram. 

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