Statement Regarding King v. Burwell SCOTUS Healthcare Decision by Dr. Bob McClure, President and CEO of The James Madison Institute:”While the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Obama administration in King v. Burwell is certainly disappointing, the precedent set will have far reaching and potentially discouraging implications for all manner of laws passed by Congress in administrations both Republican and Democrat. Consider the policy realm of government surveillance, labor law, or any number of arenas in which a Congress passes laws that are then manipulated beyond their stated words. This ruling should be considered a loss no matter what one’s view of Obamacare.With that said, the effort to truly bring down healthcare costs and increase access to care continues, as the negative impacts of Obamacare will unfold over the next several years. The fact is, Americans have been sold a lie, and as the policy continues its rollout, individuals, families, business owners, and insurers will learn the painful truth. The country’s healthcare challenges, which have taken generations to evolve, cannot be fixed by the federal government with a single silver bullet in the form of Obamacare. Both federal and state policymakers can and should champion positive reforms that can right the ship.Federal level fixes include:
Ending the incentivized structure of employer-provided health insurance by offering a tax credit to individuals purchasing their own insurance coverage regardless of income.
Allowing individuals (and companies providing employer-based insurance) the ability to purchase health insurance from out-of-state providers.
Rescinding the individual mandate, which is the most intrusive part of the law into personal liberty.
State level solutions should focus on:
Championing innovation in healthcare delivery.
Addressing the healthcare supply chain.
Expanding scope of practice and medical education growth.
Improving price transparency.
Incentivizing charity care and reducing the cost drivers, with medical malpractice coverage being one of the single biggest.
Here’s hoping that our elected officials at the federal and state levels will recognize the opportunities afforded them to offer Americans real, long-lasting reforms that will improve our healthcare system, while protecting personal liberty and our pocketbooks.”
