Dive Brief: Privately insured individuals are more likely to report worse access to care, higher medical costs and lower satisfaction than those on public insurance programs like Medicare, suggesting public options may provide more cost-effective care than private ones, according to a new study published in JAMA on Tuesday. The study, conducted by researchers from the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and University of California, San Francisco, comes amid a renewed push by Democrats to enact a public health insurance option, a key prong of President Joe Biden's health agenda fiercely opposed by conservatives. As legislators look for ways to lower costs and improve coverage, policy "efforts directed at increasing the number of individuals covered by Medicare or improving protections for individuals covered by private insurance against increasing out-of-pocket costs, high deductibles, and surprise billing may be associated with improved experience of and satisfaction with health care," researchers said.