With the “public option” for health care reform faltering, “co‐​ops” are increasingly being discussed as an alternative. But what are health insurance co‐​operatives? How do they work? Are they a viable alternative or just the public option by a different name? Cato senior fellow Michael Tanner will discuss the history, successes, and failures of health insurance co‐​ops, and how they may or may not fit into health care reform.