Since the administration and its ideological allies apparently
have no contingency plan for replacing Obamacare, Congress finally should come
together to craft a pragmatic and measured approach to health care reform that
doesn't involve taking over the world.
Assuming the Court declares Obamacare unconstitutional, cooler
heads in Congress can focus on those reforms most likely to garner enough
bipartisan agreement for passage. Start by ramping up tracking and enforcement
programs to cut Medicare fraud and waste. Provide compassionate, fiscally
sustainable safety nets for the most needy, such as indigent patients and those
caught in health care crises not covered by insurance. Tamp down costs by
increasing competition and allowing patients to purchase insurance plans beyond
state borders, as with car insurance. Stanch the hemorrhage of doctors from
medicine by reasonably reforming malpractice lawsuits, slashing paperwork and
bureaucratic meddling, and clarifying First Amendment conscience protections
for health care professionals.
The jacobinic health care revolution has failed. It is time now
to reform health care democratically with careful, considerate compromise on
the pragmatic principles that most Americans support.
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