If you hate Obamacare you can vote Republican and replace it with a plan developed by two of the GOP think tanks: The Heritage Foundation, which designed Romneycare, and the American Enterprise Institute. Their plan is another version of consumer directed healthcare. Individuals would get a fixed amount of money to purchase a variety of plans from the insurance market. Those who purchase value plans, that they can afford, will limit their healthcare spending and force suppliers to be more efficient. Consumers will be in control of the insurance market, and the healthcare industry. Consumer sovereignty replaces the federal government, and employer provided healthcare plans, as the preferred way to limit the excessive demand for healthcare services in our current system. This is essentially the plan that John McCain attempted to sell to the public in the 2008 election. It might work this time if the GOP can leverage the hatred that it has helped to create about Obamacare. David Brooks will be there to keep the flames of hatred alive.
The GOP is putting on a full court press to cut the cost of government healthcare plans. The article quoted by Brooks appeared in National Affairs. A similar article is in The Weekly Standard. The author of the article is making the rounds on radio talk shows. He was on public radio today. He argues that America is doomed unless it gives up its commitment to social democracy. We have to free up the marketplace to stimulate investments in productivity and we have to let consumers make their own decisions about healthcare spending. In other works we have to continue with the programs initiated by Reagan and by Bush.
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