STEPHEN MOORE: Republicans Can Win On Health Care Affordability
For most of the last 40 years, pollsters have asked voters: Which party do you trust more on health care? The answer has been pretty much the same over this whole period. Voters trust the Democrats more, sometimes by a…
For most of the last 40 years, pollsters have asked voters: Which party do you trust more on health care? The answer has been pretty much the same over this whole period. Voters trust the Democrats more, sometimes by a two-to-one margin.
When I’ve asked my Republican politicos why that is, the answer I typically receive is: our party doesn’t do health care. Then they crouch in the fetal position.
Well, the GOP certainly better start “doing health care,” because the issue of medical care access and affordability is front and center in American families.
The GOP shouldn’t be afraid of the issue. Democrats have pretty much unilaterally designed the medical care system we have now. They own it. The outcome isn’t a happy one. We are getting spiraling costs with less access and in many cases worse health outcomes.
The Republican promise to voters should better health care at half the cost.
Here are five easy pieces to this saner and higher-quality health care system.
First, follow Trump’s lead from his State of the Union when he told the country: “I want to stop all payments to big insurance companies and give that money to the people.” That’s you and me.
This patient-power approach is a direct assault on Washington’s long-held allegiance to the hospital oligopolies, the insurance companies, and the pharmacy benefit managers is over. The medical care dollars should follow the patients and that means a range of options in how that money is spent to improve health.
One of those options should be the expansion of health savings accounts (HSAs), which incentivizes patients to shop around for the best price for health services they can find. Another option should be low-premium catastrophic coverage plans that cover major but not routine costs. This is supported by 78% of voters.
Second, start every discussion of health care reminding Americans with an undeniable truism: Obamacare has been a catastrophic mistake that has run up costs two to three times higher than expected. The Affordable Care Act has made health care much LESS affordable.