Repeal O’care, period. Keep two things that are decent about it: no pre-existing conditions and letting dependents up to age 26 go on Mom & Dad’s plan.
Other than that, a dose of the free market is ALL that is needed to repair our medical care system.
1) Blow off the artificial boundaries between the states for medical insurance. Let more companies compete, and that’ll drive prices down.
2) Let people pick and choose what they want to be covered for - it is rather ridiculous for all men, and women over 50, to be covered for maternity care...though if someone wants it, let them pay for it and have it.
3) Streamline the drug approval process. If a drug is safe for use in Japan or Western Europe, then it is safe here - why blow the cost sky-high.
4) THIS IS A MUST-DO: Enforce the Sherman Anti-trust Act against the pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and doctors. NO UNFAIR COMPETITION! No hidden, monopolistic practices. No penalties for buying generic drug X from Canada or Mexico at a cheaper cost than here - don’t worry, the prices will even out very quickly.
5) Limit damages for pain and suffering to $250K or $500K - that’ll lower malpractice awards, which will lower malpractice insurance rates, which will lower medical costs AND ALSO lessen the extraordinarily expensive practice of defensive medicine. PERHAPS you can have the 1,000 or so most common injuries, diseases and conditions looked at by a panel of medical experts, and come up with recommended treatments and diagnostics - and if a doctor/hospital follows those guidelines, they CAN’T be sued outside of gross or criminal negligence.
Do those things, and our medical costs will plummet, and better care (including innovation) will become lots more common.
Oh, and if someone cannot afford the free-market price, let them qualify for Medicaid and use docs and hospitals that are willing to accept a bit less per patient and make up for that with volume - SOMEONE will do so, I promise.
Sorry but the kids on mom and dad’s plan is the very worst thing about it!
That has to go before it bankrupts the 50 somethings.
Those kids can vote, sign a legal contract, join the military, take on loans, get married, have kids and all sorts of other stuff, but you have to lay fir their insurance till they’re 26? Complete bullshit.