Health care Reform: Compromise is Not a Dirty Word

A significant deadline is approaching. The federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 and with it this year’s opportunity to use reconciliation to reform and replace ObamaCare. Time is running out to make changes that will devolve any power back to the people and the states, a component of federalism. For Republicans, it may be the last chance to fulfill any aspect of the promise that they have campaigned on for over eight years. Hesitant politicians in Congress should support this effort through the Graham-Cassidy bill, despite its shortcomings.

Senator Rand Paul, a physician, has argued for a complete repeal and replacement with large private associations to eliminate the penalty of pre-existing conditions. A dedicated purist, he is presently against this rendition of reform as he considers it “ObamaCare-lite” since it does not eliminate all the funding nor the regulatory mandates under the existing laws. This is correct (though block-granting funds will reduce spending by 5-10%), but it misses an essential point. The longer the ACA law remains in effect, the harder it is to replace it with an improvement, as the entrenched and dependent constituency grows. An addition to the bill which might garner Paul’s support could include cross-state insurance purchasing or more regulatory flexibility at the state level.

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/09/health_care_reform_compromise_is_not_a_dirty_word.html#ixzz4tatgDpcO