About Government Healthcare Bills

The AHCA -the bill to repeal and replace Obama care.

Let’s face it, it really was a bad bill.  It seemed to have been thrown together by Ryan and other House Republicans so as to quickly present a bill, but it seemed to have lacked any clear thought about what they were doing or what they wanted to accomplish. 

So, what is the result?  First, the Democrats are full of glee.  They can point to a big FAIL by the Trump administration and by the Republicans.  While they may be right, this reaction is equally a fail.  That is, it shows that their primary motive is to win, or to see the Republicans lose, not to consider or work for what might be best for the American people.

I am not a doctor or a politician, but this whole ordeal suggests two things to me.

First, there is never going to be a good Health Care Bill.  We have seen the many problems with Obamacare, which is really a method of insurance or payment for health services rather than it is about actual quality of health care.  We have seen the problem with trying to craft a replacement.  Perhaps the problem is that the federal government should not be crafting such a bill at all.  That is, there is never going to be a one size fits all health care program.  As such, those congress people who are responsive to their constituents will see different needs in any bill and will always have difficulty reaching agreement. We have Medicaid and other safety nets for those who need them; perhaps that should be the end of the government’s involvement in individual health care.  Leave it to the people rather than the government to decide what they and their families need as far as health and health insurance.

Second, there are things that Congress could do to make such individual choices easier and more available.  For example, they could make it possible for health insurers to offer policies across state lines.  They could make it easier for insurers to be competitive with one another and hence more responsive to the demands of individuals seeking insurance.  Perhaps, instead of trying to create some sort of health care or insurance mandate, Congress could simply lift some of the regulations or modify them so as to allow a competitive marketplace that would allow individuals to create and then satisfy the demands of a healthcare marketplace. Congress could also limit its focus on the actual provision of health care to those safety nets that are or may be necessary for those who cannot participate in such a market place.

But, since we sadly have come to the point where we seem to think that it is the government’s responsibility to provide everyone with healthcare, then let me suggest a better way to go about this, should the Republicans decide to retry.  Abolish Obamacare effective 3 years from the date of the passage of the bill for repeal (or a similar time span deemed reasonable).  That’s it – nothing else in that bill.  Then, rather than trying to tinker and fix this or that in the 1000 pages that are Obamacare, start over from scratch.  Focus on health care, not what form of insurance will pay for it.  What health care is it up to the government to provide or mandate, and how can that best be delivered?  Or, focus on the insurance industry and the regulatory structure surrounding it, and consider how it can be improved so that individuals can use it to obtain the healthcare they need outside of government interference in the actual health care.  Use the 3 years to the repeal deadline to understand what is necessary, what the goal is, and how best to achieve it, and write a bill that is responsive to that understanding and to the needs of the people.

Again, I am not an expert on medicine or healthcare.  But I do know that Obamacare turned out to be a disaster in the way that larger government programs have a way of taking away individual freedoms and decisions and ultimately not being very effective while being very expensive for taxpayers.  We sadly have come to look to big government to solve all our problems and provide all our needs.  This is a mistake and a threat not only to our individuality but to our form of democracy.  And, we are seeing the additional negative effect of turning things over to a centralized big, politically motivated government as we look at the fight over both Obamacare and the failed Republican replacement bill: politicians on both sides less concerned with the people than with their own power and the idea of winning at any cost and glee when they do, despite the devastating effect that win might have on the people who elected them.

So, perhaps Congress will and should take a break from thinking about healthcare and then after some reflection, come back to it with fresh eyes – eyes that reflect the true needs of a democracy and its individuals, eyes that do not see big government as the answer to every want, desire, and need.