GCO releases new reports describing the best path forward for ̹½ÊÓƵ’s federal healthcare waivers
Today, the ̹½ÊÓƵ Center for Opportunity (GCO) has released two new reports detailing precisely how the ̹½ÊÓƵ governor and lawmakers should enact federal healthcare waivers that will reform a healthcare system disproportionately impacting the poor.
In What Does an Ideal Solution to the Health Insurance Crisis Look Like? Principles for Policymakers When Crafting a Federal Waiver Application, GCO scholar Erik Randolph describes the ways that ̹½ÊÓƵ lawmakers can craft a healthcare system that works for everyone, particularly the most vulnerable. And in What Census Microdata Tells Us ̹½ÊÓƵ Health Insurance Coverage in ̹½ÊÓƵ, Randolph delves into some lesser known facts about the healthcare system in ̹½ÊÓƵ in order to better help lawmakers craft a system that helps those in poverty and boosts economic mobility.
Randy Hicks, GCO’s President and CEO, said the new reports come at a crucial time for healthcare reform in ̹½ÊÓƵ. “Due to a federal waiver application process approved by the Trump Administration, ̹½ÊÓƵ has a narrow window of opportunity to innovate at the local level to solve the healthcare crisis,” Hicks said. “More than 13 percent of ̹½ÊÓƵns still lack health insurance, and the cost of insurance in the individual markets have more than doubled since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act. We need a real solution to this crisis. This report lays the groundwork.”
The reports recommend the creation of a consumer-directed market system coupled with a reformed safety-net program. Key recommendations include:
- Freedom and portability:Just like with other insurances, consumers want the leeway to shop for health insurance on their own terms and to not lose their plan when leaving a job. This solution drives down costs and keeps affordable health coverage long after they leave employment.
- Affordability: There is a simple reason why 13.3 percent of ̹½ÊÓƵns lack any health insurance: affordability. As demonstrated by systems in Switzerland and the Netherlands, the solution is to achieve universal coverage. GCO’s healthcare proposals will create a market-driven program with safety-net subsidies, leading to universal coverage. Pricing will be transparent and consumers will easily shop for the best values.
- A unified system: The current healthcare system is a fragmented hodgepodge of programs—Medicaid, PeachCare, Medicare, TriCare, VA services, and government-run exchanges. Contrary to this confusing system, GCO reforms would create a single program with government subsidies for low-income families that eliminate welfare cliffs and marriage penalties.
- The safety net: The system still provides a vital safety net for those who aren’t able to afford health insurance on their own. Subsidies are provided through the ̹½ÊÓƵ Gateway to help low-income families pay their premiums.