Let Individuals, Not Politicians, Make Health Care Decisions
By: Scott Rasmussen / Townhall.com
The health care debate is a great example of why Americans hate politics.
Both Republicans and Democrats pursue their plans with ideological zeal
and reckless disregard for the truth in hopes of winning 51 percent of
the vote. Voters hold their nose and choose but would rather have their
leaders search for consensus. That would require taking a little bit
from the president's plan, a little bit from the Republicans and a lot
from what voters think should be done.
Currently, Republicans
are seen as wanting to give more authority to insurance companies, while
Democrats want more power for the government. Voters are evenly divided
as to which of those they fear the most, but they don't like either
option. Americans want to make their own health care decisions.
That's why they overwhelmingly favor getting rid of special antitrust
exemptions for insurance companies. Let the companies compete. It's also
why they strongly oppose all government health care mandates. Sugary
soda may lead to health problems, but only 24 percent think the
government should ban the sale of large sugary drinks.
By a
3-to-1 margin, voters believe that free market competition will do more
than additional government regulation to reduce health care costs.
Democrats say that's the idea behind the exchanges required in the
health care law. From the perspective of most Americans, that's a good
thing. But President Obama's law allows only limited competition. All
insurance policies must offer the same list of medical procedures
mandated by the federal government. That's like Ford saying its
customers can buy any color car they want so long as it's black. That
won't satisfy consumers today.
Seventy-six percent of voters
think every individual should have the right to choose between expensive
health care plans that cover just about everything and less expensive
plans that cover only major medical expenses. If Democrats would allow
insurance companies to offer a variety of policies, perhaps Republicans
would accept requiring those companies to offer a Cadillac policy
covering everything mandated by the federal government.
That
type of political compromise would ensure that everybody would have
access to a top-tier plan, but nobody would be forced to pay for
coverage they don't want.
The same approach could be taken with
other aspects of the health care law. Democrats rightly note that the
provision allowing students to stay on their parents' health insurance
plan until age 26 is popular. But why not expand it and give more access
to those over 26 by allowing all Americans to purchase the health
insurance offered to members of Congress? Seventy-eight percent of
voters think that's a good idea.
To make all the consumer
choices meaningful, take the power away from employers to pick the
insurance plan for their workers. If a company pays for employee health
insurance, 82 percent believe that each employee should be allowed to
use that money to select their own plan. If they come up with a less
expensive option than their company chooses, most believe the workers
should be allowed to keep the change.
If consumers are given
control of their health care spending, thoughtful shoppers will demand
better quality and better service. They also will bring down the cost of
care.
Building consensus on health care reform requires taking
good ideas from both Democrats and Republicans. As far as voters are
concerned, good ideas are the ones that give individuals more control
over their own health care decisions.
