Really? If we go on the assumption that Trump's plan is supposed to be better than Obamacare, that it will provide low cost health insurance with better features than Obamacare at lower costs and without creating a massive new government entitlement then let's take a look at each point and see if it will do that.
1. Completely repeal Obamacare. Cruz is for that, too, but is wise enough to not propose an alternative. But Trump wants to make it better and repealing Obamacare as a first step will also end two very popular features of it; care for pre-existing conditions and coverage for children up to age 25. Those are gone and Trump does not propose retaining them. People won't like that.
2. Modify existing law that inhibits the sale of health insurance across state lines. I'll refer you to my reply 102 for my explanation why this will do little or nothing to reduce health care costs. Suffice it to say there is little incentive for me to buy across state lines and no incentive for the company to sell to me.
3. Allow individuals to fully deduct health insurance premium payments from their tax returns under the current tax system. A good idea but if the goal is to make insurance more affordable for middle and lower income people then it's useless. Under Trump's tax plan any family with an income of less than $50,000 pay no taxes to begin with so what will another deduction do for them? Keep in mind this is a deduction and not a tax credit.
4. Allow individuals to use Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Health savings accounts already exist and have existed for a number of years. People can get them through employers or set them up on their own.
5. Require price transparency from all healthcare providers, especially doctors and healthcare organizations like clinics and hospitals. Already exists. The government provides pricing information. All you have to do is look for it, and it isn't hard to find.
6. Block-grant Medicaid to the states. One feature of Obamacare was to expand Medicaid in the states to cover those unable to afford coverage. Even with the government covering most of the costs, around half the states refused to participate. Why should Trump think that would change?
7. Remove barriers to entry into free markets for drug providers that offer safe, reliable and cheaper products. Once a drug has entered into the generic market than multiple companies can make it and costs do go down. But while the patents are in place then only the company that developed it can manufacture it and they can charge whatever they want. Will Trump end that? Is that what he's talking about here?
Long and short of it is that Trumps solution is no solution at all. Cruz has the correct view. End Obamacare because short of a single-payer government program there is nothing the government can do to provide healthcare at a reasonable cost and it shouldn't be trying.
I’m going to make a suggestion to you. Don’t get me wrong please.
Simplify your outline a little and make it a little bit more easy to read.
Put it in a letter and mail it to Donald Trump tell him what you think and ask him to pay you $185,000 a year to work on implementing what you think will work.
It wouldn’t surprise me if he hired you. Don’t send it to teddy though because you’re one of the little people to him.
and he hates our guts. You may think I’m kidding I’m not. You might want to East Coast your language a little bit throwing a few “amazings” and a few “it’s true” here or “it’s true” there and judicious addition of statements like “what a disaster” here and there might also be helpful for communication purposes.
that’s how they make deals.
For all I know you are the virtual Carl Icahn of health insurance. Your odds of getting Donald Trump to listen to your insurance plans are much higher they never getting within a thousand feet of Ted Cruz to tell him what you think about insurance.
I’ll try and take a look a little more at what you wrote tomorrow evening for now I got to catch a few Winks of sleep. Goodnight or good morning.