Is Colorado Option the right or wrong prescription?

When the Colorado House of Representatives approved state Senate amendments, passed House Bill 23-1224 on April 26 and sent it to Gov. Jared Polis for his signature, it capped a pulse-quickening debate about the “Colorado Option,” a state-designed health insurance option that launched its first open-enrollment period last year — as well as the broader concept of single-payer coverage and “Medicare for All.”

Supporters call the Colorado Option a success. Opponents call it a failure.

Other than in Colorado and the state of Washington, where the nation’s first quasi-public option program made its debut in fall 2020, public-option health care is…