HEALTH CARE
We believe arguments over whether health care is a right or not are beside the point. Government often takes prudent action to ensure the overall well-being of the population regardless of whether rights are at stake; in the matter of health care, given the more than 50 year history of Medicare and Medicaid, we believe government has already clearly established its central role in our health care system.
Proposals:
Health insurance should be available, portable and affordable for all citizens, with means-tested government subsidies for those who cannot pay in full.
Health benefits should be separated from employment -- the practice of saddling employers with costly pension and health insurance benefit obligations is hurting the ability of American companies to compete in the global economy.
The Affordable Care Act does not do the full job of extending health care coverage to all Americans. More research and work needs to be done, and legislative changes will have to be made in order to correct some of the shortfalls of the ACA while preserving some of its successes.
The ultimate goal should be to reduce overall healthcare spending while improving access, quality and efficiency and ensuring health care providers are fairly compensated for the vital services they perform.
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The Modern Whig Institute is a 501(c)(3) civic research and education foundation dedicated to the fundamental American principles of representative government, ordered liberty, capitalism, due process and the rule of law.
