Prior to ObamaCare, "fixes" to the healthcare system would have been relatively simple and straightforward. These ideas, such as buying insurance across state lines, were proposed over and over again by Republicans for years, only to be immediately shelved by Democrats. The reason these fixes would have been simple and straightforward was because a marketplace structure existed that was stable and reliable.
Democrats blew up that structure when a handful of elites designed ObamaCare behind closed doors with no outside ideas allowed, even from fellow Democrats.
Today, the leviathan that is ObamaCare has no easy fixes. It has become it's own totalitarian state having such a vast bureaucracy that it cannot be dismantled with a single stroke. There are tax implications, employer consequences, a research and development impact, labor laws, and on and on. The list is almost never ending as it reaches every nook and cranny in American life today.
Republicans, faced with cleaning up the mess made by Obama and his gang of thieves, are contemplating a piecemeal approach to repairing the damage. First tackle the employer mandate, next the tax implications, then on to the innumerable remaining aspects of the leviathan that will drag on for years. This too is a recipe for disaster.
Democrats will fight, claw and scream bloody murder every single step of the way. They will demand compromises and insist hundreds of pages of legislative gobbledygook be included in every proposal. I have a better solution - tell Democrats they can go straight to hell.
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Let ObamaCare die a natural death. It won't take long, there are already priests hovering around preparing to administer last rights.
Setup a separate, market based alternative to ObamaCare and let the two compete head to head. Much like vouchers for school choice, allow each family and each employer the freedom to chose their own preference. Some may select ObamaCare and that is their choice. Most however, will choose from the a la carte menus offered by insurers that will pop up out of the woodwork overnight.
This approach has several advantages. For one, it is relatively easy and quick to implement legislatively and it avoids the years-long battle with Democrats in Congress. They can go straight to hell.
Secondly, the Free To Choose bill will have a tremendous conceptual impact on the American public. And as the saying goes, perception is reality. People understand instinctively that more choices is a far better option than a single choice rammed down their throats. Allow citizens to vote with their pocketbooks and the message will be clear.
Lastly, Democrats would be forced to oppose a Free To Choose bill. They would have to stand there before a microphone and make their case that a totalitarian solution is superior to a free market solution. It won't even pass the smell test and the repercussions will have a decades long ripple effect on everything from school choice to EPA regulations.
The Freedom To Choose is a very powerful American concept citizens understand at a gut level.
