HEALTH

The idea of a government run health insurance plan, competing with private insurers, has reentered the public discourse.

A massive experiment in California is proving embarrassing to the health policy community. It’s showing that one of the most common and doggedly held beliefs of the experts is completely wrong.

Here is something that may surprise you. Did you know that in the 6 ½ years since the passage of Obamacare, Republicans have not held a single hearing on the problems the law has created for ordinary people. No hearing in the House of Representatives.

After six years of living with Obamacare, Republicans have finally produced an alternative. Other GOP proposals in recent years have been narrowly focused on the 20 million or so people who have been insured by Obamacare.

For well over a decade, House Speaker Paul Ryan has been a steadfast supporter of replacing current tax and spending subsidies for health care and health insurance with a universal tax credit. Readers may be surprised to learn that within the health policy community this idea is not regarded as right wing.

Are Democrats smarter than Republicans? When it comes to health care they might be.

After six years of living with Obamacare, Republicans have finally produced an alternative. Other GOP proposals in recent years have been narrowly focused on the 20 million or so people who have been insured by Obamacare.

Introduced by Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA), the Health Savings Account Expansion Act liberalizes and expands HSAs in a way that is consistent with changes I have long advocated and that are explained in “Designing Ideal Health Insurance.”