Bye-Bye, ObamaCare: Tom Price To Head HHS

Investors Business Daily ^ | 11/29/16 6:21 PM ET | Editorial

[expat_panama]

ObamaCare: Tom Price, the Republican congressman and former physician from Georgia, has been named by Donald Trump to head the Department of Health and Human Services. For those who harbored any doubts about Trump's commitment to repealing ObamaCare, you can now rest easy.

Price, a former orthopedic surgeon, is known as Congress' most astute critic of the Affordable Care Act, having practiced medicine himself and understanding fully its many flaws. He will be ready on Day One to find a way to replace the 2010 health care law, which was passed by Democrats without a single Republican vote.

We're sure of this because he's already put forward a workable plan, the Empowering Patients First Act, that would vastly improve our nation's health care system without nationalizing it — something that ObamaCare was designed to do eventually.

Price's plan is "a highly detailed legislative proposal that would repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with patient-centered provisions that would control costs and expand coverage in the private health insurance markets," said Robert Moffitt, a senior fellow in The Heritage Foundation's Center for Health Policy Studies.

And, in fact, major elements of Price's plan have already been put into House Speaker Paul Ryan's health care proposal. Look for it to move quickly after Trump takes office.

Among other things, Price proposes giving individuals tax relief for buying health insurance, part of letting them not only own their health insurance but also making it portable from job to job. He also pushes for expanded Health Savings Accounts...

...Price is the best man to do it. Not only is he a doctor, he's also the current chairman of the House Budget Committee. He knows where all the levers and buttons are to make the congressional budget machinery work...

[Fai Mao]

Holy Cow. is Trump planning to keep all his election promises in the first 100 days?

[Gaffer]

There are literally hundreds of instances in the ACA where rules and regulations are “at the discretion of the Secretary.” This is the Health and Human Services Secretary.

Upon his confirmation, he will instantly control a very large portion of the now-existing ACA to effect much needed changes. At least until this act comes to an end.

Too bad, Democrats.

[Principled]

yeah...I’m tired of not being able to afford going to a doctor.

$12,500 deductible is just rediculous. If I wanted a catastrophic plan I’d buy one...wait...I can’t do that either under 0bamacare.

I’m looking forward to being able to buy the coverage I want and see the doctor I want to see...AND be able to afford it!!!

[expat_panama]

Good morning!   It's the month's end (what a month!) and stocks yesterday were flat/up and today's stock index futures are also flat/up. 

Gold and silver are at $1,187.87 and $16.74 (flat/up).

Econ stats are ROARING in here:

7:00 AM MBA Mortgage Index
8:15 AM ADP Employment Change
8:30 AM Personal Income
8:30 AM Personal Spending
8:30 AM Core PCE Price Index
9:45 AM Chicago PMI
10:00 AM Pending Home Sales
10:30 AM Crude Inventories
2:00 PM Fed's Beige Book

--and this is after yesterday's GDP soared; maybe we can start a thread there.  News:

The ACA Repeal Will Be Biggest Tax Cut of the Year - Ryan Ellis, Forbes
Cuomo Capitalism Has Chased Companies from NY - Bob McManus, CJ
Way Forward for Troubled Europe - Michael Boskin, International Banker
Dear Ben Bernanke, Gold & Silence Are Linked - Editorial, New York Sun
It Will Be a December to Remember for Stocks - Anthony Mirhaydari, TFT

[Fresh Wind]

Does this mean President Trump will actually do away with this? That's more winning than I can stand!

[DoodleDawg]

Repeal, don’t replace.

[Sacajaweau]

President Elect Trump....looks like a great pick.

Sounds like the work is done already and they're waiting for "the day". Of course, it has to go to Congress. We know the house has voted to get rid of it many, many times.

One has to remember, there are a lot of Dems who will no longer be under the thumb of Obama or Hillary and have nothing to lose by getting rid of that monster.

[Morpheus2009]

He sure will try. I am not sure about how many RINOs will oppose this bill though.

[ari-freedom]

We need to move out of obamacare but also away from an employer based system towards a system where each individual chooses from any insurance plan in the UD, no matter what state. Price’s plan appears to do that without throwing out everyone with existing employer plans.

[Libloather]

Instantly remove the annual tax penalty for noncompliance and work up from there. Maybe second - call off the 16,000 freshly hired IRS Husseincare ‘enforcers’. Third - give back the houses and property that the IRS confiscated because folks couldn’t afford the Affordable Care Debacle. Fourth - make Pelosi pay for it all.

[wally_bert]

I try not to go to a quack unless I absolutely have to.

My insurance plan does ok for what things are like now but no great guns by any means. I’m thankful and grateful for it though.

[Jonty30]

And all from Trump Tower.

[Jonty30]

That, and being able to be covered with pre-existing conditions. Maybe a couple of years of paying into the system before being covered, but you should be able to get coverage.

[DoodleDawg]

We need to move out of obamacare but also away from an employer based system towards a system where each individual chooses from any insurance plan in the UD, no matter what state.

Are there any other benefits you want the government to force my company to take away from me?

[RipSawyer]

“That’s more winning than I can stand!”

No it ain’t!

[longtermmemmory]

I don’t like the “tax credit” concept. That just screams more “tax man” oversight.

[JohnLongIsland]

Let insurance companies sell across state lines...

[longtermmemmory]

just allowing insurance to cross state lines will gut local democrats who depend on state insurance companies for campaign money.

[RipSawyer]

“Maybe a couple of years of paying into the system before being covered, but you should be able to get coverage.”

IIRC that was available in SC under the old system and required being covered for one year without being treated for the preexisting condition before it was covered. I am for any such plan as long as it does not have to be forced on the insurance company by law. When a company is forced to offer coverage for preexisting conditions that ceases to be insurance and becomes something else. It is trite at this point but still true that it makes no more sense for someone to be able to buy insurance for something for which they are currently under treatment than it would for them to be able to buy auto insurance after a wreck or fire insurance while the house is burning. That is simply out of the scope of insurance.