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The following is an open letter to the American people from 68 leaders participating in the Health Policy Consensus Group. The full list of signatories follows the letter. The nation faces a clear choice between two paths for America’s health care future:
Today, nearly 44 million people will go without health insurance atsome point during the year; this number continues to grow at theastonishing rate of 100,000 each month.
America’s hospital markets are consolidated, with a relatively small number of hospital systems dominating a large share of the market in any given geographical area. The right remedy for such a concentration of economic power is free-market competition, but competition in this sector of the economy is weak. The absence of strong competition increases consumer costs, decreases consumer choice, weakens provider incentives for innovation, and thus threatens the cost-effective delivery of medical care.
President of the Galen Institute U.S. President Biden, out of frame, meets with labor union leaders in the Oval Office on February 17, 2021 in Washington, D.C. to discuss his $1.9 trillion economic stimulus plan. Pete Marovich-Pool / Getty Images Key Takeaways Instead of addressing Obamacare’s many flaws and costly mandates, the Democrats’ misguided proposal simply throws more money at insurance companies. The economic dislocation caused by COVID-19 did not appear to have had a significant adverse effect on health insurance coverage. Congress should pursue policies that reduce health costs and expand access to care and health care choices by eliminating cost-increasing government mandates.
Grace-Marie Turner is president of the Galen Institute. The following is an open letter from 68 leaders participating in the Health Policy Consensus Group. The full list of signatories follows the letter. Democrats in Congress have proposed a COVID-19 relief bill that includes provisions to dramatically increase government subsidies for health care coverage for millions of people who already have insurance while further expanding government control over health care. The legislation would increase for more than two years government payments to insurance companies via the Affordable Care Act by: Removing even the de minimis premium payments required of people earning less than 150% of the federal poverty level.