Is a public health care option better for America than Medicare for All? On "Salon Talks," Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz offered his take on why a public option, in theory, addresses bigger problems within the health care system.

"The notion of a public option is you would have a government program increasing people's choice," Stiglitz told SalonTV's Dean Obeidallah. "The public isn't trying to rip off, or you know, just trying to break even. The very existence of this public option would give people more choice, but also curb the monopoly power of the private sector. So it would lead to lower prices in the private sector better than regulation in some ways because it's giving somebody a choice."

In his latest book, "People, Power, and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent," the former chief economist of the World Bank and chairman of Clinton's Council of Economic Advisors unpacks Trump's economic policies, the shortcomings of American-style capitalism, and what we should do moving forward.

Watch the full episode to hear more from Stiglitz on why some 2020 Democrats are pushing for socialist-inspired (but not in the traditional sense) policies that help Americans beyond health care.

SalonTV host Dean Obeidallah is also the host of the daily national SiriusXM radio program, "The Dean Obeidallah Show" on the network's progressive political channel. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.