Obamacare was intended to increase costs and destabilize the healthcare industry.
The intent was that this would then drive everyone into a single nationalized, government run program.
Then Trump won and all of those plans are on the rocks.
The GOP has to try to act with it's majority, but any plan they try will be only a bandaid on a mortal wound.
My solution is far simpler than any Washington plan:
1) For the conservatives:
Deregulate the requirement for electronic medical records - this would not only save vast amounts of money, but it would allow small practices to pop up and competition to be re-introduced into the market which would decrease costs. The hospital-owned practices cannot deliver healthcare cheaply, and they overrun with unnecessary middle management administrators.
2) For the Liberals:
Have the government set up a Pharmaceutical Purchasing Entity which is able to buy drugs on the international markets at the cheapest price that still allows good quality, and then make those drugs available to everyone at cost. Let the tax payers foot the bill for this new governmental entity which would not be very expensive, but would need multiple employees with knowledge and skill in Pharmacy. medicine, and trading and negotiating.and distribution. The costs of Rx's would drop markedly.
3) Leave the rest alone since these first two things will markedly cut the costs that the middle class is suffering under while still allowing everyone to be covered that already is.
and equally unresolvable.
Healthcare in America is excellent, especially in the bigger cities, where competition, consolidation and specialized medicine deliver as good of medical care as offered on the planet.
The issue is costs, driven largely by the insurance companies in the middle.
Although the ACA's moral compass was righteous, the insurance companies and PHARMA remained King, and the math is not sustainable (particularly w/ no help from Trump administration to make the exchanges user friendly).
The GOP seeks to cut insurance premiums by cutting what an insurance policy has to cover. Cutting Medicaid and the mandates (employer and persons) presents as a big cost saver, but it doesn't cut the number of patients who will need medical care. Hospitals will treat the sick and those uncovered costs will get redistributed to us, via insurance premiums.
Single payer for the masses + cutting costs in ways Baron proposes.
Trump can use EO to do it immediately.
Sad thing is if you take the politics out of it, some type of compromise could prolly be hammered out.
any means, but it makes it all WAY less expensive which is in everyone's interest (except Big Pharma and Big Hospital).
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