Last month, Congress provided temporary relief from two taxes that would hamper America’s middle class: the Cadillac tax, which could have affected employees in up to 23 percent of insurance plans, and the medical device tax, which would curb critical medical research and drive up health care costs.
With the House of Representatives poised to pass a reconciliation bill that includes the repeal of substantial portions of ObamaCare, conservatives should highlight their ideas to reform America’s broken health care system.
In CRN’s forthcoming book on health care reform, Grace-Marie Turner identifies four principles that should serve as pillars of health care reform.
- Consumers should have security and freedom through health insurance choices, including refundable credit for those not offered health insurance through an employer.
- States, not the federal government, must have control over the regulation health insurance.
- Consumers, particularly those eligible for Medicare, must have more choice among coverage options with Medicare Advantage and Part D programs serving as guides.
- Allowing for greater innovation in improving the quality of health care must be central to conservative reform of America’s health care system. Streamlining the FDA drug-approval process is one example of promoting innovation.
Health care reform must move away from the centralized approach that Obamacare has imposed. Conservatives are wise to continue offering much-needed alternatives.