Real Clear Health - The Time Is Right for Health Care Reform

Op-Ed

By Dr. Michael Burgess

Now more than ever before, health care is on the minds of all Americans. And now more than ever before, market-based reform for health care is more achievable -- and it is because of the policies that have been put into place by the Trump Administration.

Just after the 2018 election, President Trump announced his desire to be known as the health care president. While it seems counterintuitive for a Republican administration to lead on health policy, my thesis is there has never been a more propitious time for reasserting market-based reforms and ensuring choice and affordability in health coverage decisions.

Here are the key points: Maintain protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions, while improving health coverage choices. Lower the cost. Simplify the complex. These should be the driving principles for market-based health reform. And rather than being a bridge too far, this is an eminently achievable goal.

During the administration of President Trump, legislative efforts at reform have been hard-fought and seemingly minimal. But zeroing out the individual mandate penalty has set the stage for truly meaningful reform. The Trump administration has been actively championing market-based reforms through a series of executive orders and administrative guidance.

For instance, allowing Americans to choose what insurance will best meet their needs, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, will provide flexibility, rather than potentially worsening the complexity in the healthcare system. Administrative rules allowing individuals to have short-term limited duration insurance for more than three months provides job seekers the flexibility they need between jobs. And Association Health Plans expand the opportunity for Americans to choose the insurance that meets their needs and for employers to provide quality insurance to their employers.

As a physician, I was also a small business owner and provided health insurance for my employees. It would have been a tremendous asset to my employees, if I was able to work through an association health plan -- meaning my practice would be able to partner together with other similar businesses -- to offer quality coverage that would be more affordable. There are numerous organizations in Texas and across the country who've explored association health plans as an option for their businesses. Through rulemaking at the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, the administration has expanded the availability for Association Health Plans.

Another straightforward solution to make health care work for -- and not against -- the American people is Health Reimbursement Arrangements. Future legislation should ensure that Health Reimbursement Arrangements remain an option for business owners and their employees -- essentially offering the American people the same deal for health insurance that Members of Congress gave themselves under Obamacare.

In yet another way to help lower health care costs, the Administration has made increased transparency one of the hallmarks of its healthcare vision. Today, consumers are able to determine the cost of nearly all of the products and services they buy, and they benefit from knowing that information. Patients should have no less information available to them about the cost of their health care.

For decades America has been the cradle of innovation in medical care. While transparency can help shed light on what patients are buying, we must also ensure that patients receive the newest and most effective care -- and to be able to afford those treatments or drugs. Innovation is essential to combating disease and improving the quality of life for patients. American doctors have more pharmaceutical tools available to treat patients now than at any other time in their history. The American health care system should continue to encourage innovation of drug development.

Almost all the above cited examples are evidence of a presidential administration that is keenly concerned about delivery of health care now and in the future. But clearly this requires more than administrative attention, and Congressional involvement is required. An executive order will only last for the length of the enacting presidential administration and is then very much at risk. It is an urgent requirement that Congress legislate around the executive leadership shown by the White House and provide the stability and consistency for patients going forward, always keeping foremost in our minds lowering cost and reducing complexity.

Finally, the President has signaled time and again that any legislation that does not protect pre-existing conditions will never be signed into law. Congress must keep this important fact in mind as it legislates health care policy for now and in the future.

An optimistic outlook for health care in this country would include expanding choices for patients and moderating their costs. A different philosophical approach, one that eliminated choices and put the government in charge of every decision, would be a significant disservice to patients. That is why it is so critical that the Congress engage with the White House and ensure that the proper policies are signed into law. The time is right now -- more than ever before.

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