Ross: It’s time to solve the health care fight ourselves
May 8, 2017, 8:51 AM
No one knows what kind of health care system Americans are going to have next year. Given this health care vacuum, the two parties are busy either trying to reassure you, or to terrify you.
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Donald Trump is tweeting about keeping promises, and Democrats are already running campaign ads against Republicans as a way to tattoo the Trump plan on their foreheads.
Of course, the plan won’t be complete until it gets through the Senate, which could change it substantially, and that adds even more uncertainty.
So, my friends, we have to solve this ourselves.
How about this: Give each side what it wants.
Republicans are philosophically opposed to guaranteeing that everyone gets health care. They want a little uncertainty. Perhaps to prod you into taking better care of yourself.
So they give more control to the states. They want the states to choose how to spend Medicaid money and how to cover people with pre-existing illnesses. They want the states to have as many options as possible. So give the power to the states. And as one of the health care options the states can choose, give them the option of Obamacare! This idea was first proposed by two Republican senators back in January.
Makes sense. Some people like Obamacare – so why take it off the table? What will probably happen is that the states that voted for Trump will stick with the Trump plan, and the rest will go with Obamacare, and everybody will be happy.
Plus, in a few years, we’ll find out which system actually works!