Planner does not use btree index for LIKE 'prefix%' on text column, but does for equivalent range query (PostgreSQL 17.4)

Hello PostgreSQL team,

I have encountered what appears to be a planner regression or bug in
PostgreSQL 17.4 regarding the use of btree indexes for prefix searches with
LIKE 'prefix%'.

A btree index on a text column is not used for a query of the form WHERE
col LIKE 'prefix%', even though the index is healthy, statistics are
correct, and the query is highly selective.

The same index is used and performs well for an equivalent range query
(WHERE col >= 'prefix' AND col < 'nextprefix').

- This behavior persists even after VACUUM FULL, ANALYZE, and index
re-creation.
- The column and index use the default collation (en_US.UTF-8).
- The index is valid and ready.
- The planner does not use the index for LIKE 'prefix%', but does for the
equivalent range.
- Rewriting the query as a range (col >= 'prefix' AND col < 'nextprefix')
uses the index and is fast, but this should not be necessary.

Thank you for your attention!