December 01, 2010 —
New Ideas in the Health Care Debate
The results of the mid-term elections have changed the debate on health care. We find ourselves moving from “if the health care bill will be changed” to asking “how will it happen?” And elected officials are transitioning as well. A number of new ideas are being put forward.
Last week, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Scott Brown (R-MA) introduced their “Empowering States to Innovate Act.” Under the proposed legislation, if a state can create a health plan, “that covers as many people, with as comprehensive insurance at as low a cost, without adding to the deficit, the state can get the money the federal government would’ve given it for health-care reform but be freed from the individual mandate.” (Ezra Klein,
Washington Post)
Over on the House side, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) proposed some Medicare modifications as part of his
Roadmap for America’s Future. He suggests a number of changes including a voucher-based system starting in 2021, and payments adjusted for income. For more on his plan, see
this post by James Pethokoukis at Reuters.
These proposals are just the tip of the iceberg. When the new Congress gets underway in January, the health care debate will be reinvigorated, and we’ll need your help to ensure that Washington listens to the right ideas.