Whatever replaces Obamacare will face the same challenges
Sick people need coverage. Insurers need healthy customers, too. Everyone needs to be able to afford it.
The Republicans are in power in Washington, and their priority is ending Obamacare. The plan is to pass repeal legislation during the filibuster-proof budget process, but to delay implementation while they turn to a persistent question: What will they replace Obamacare with?
The answer is unknown, but some GOP alternatives have been formulated—including a detailed one by Rep. Tom Price, Donald Trump’s nominee for health secretary. Price characterizes Obamacare as government control, offering his plan as a way to return power to patients and doctors.
Yet Price’s plan can’t avoid trying to do the same kinds of things Obamacare does. That’s because Obamacare isn’t government health care (like the Veterans Health Administration) or government insurance (like Medicare). It’s primarily a set of policies aimed at making the private insurance system work effectively—just as Price’s plan aims to do. And accomplishing this comes down mostly to addressing three challenges.
