Improve – don’t gut – health care law

I doubt that many people would be so callous as to advocate to take health insurance coverage away from low-income people or eliminate health coverage through the Medicaid program for low-income children, pregnant women, and special needs adults and children. But that’s the crux of the discussion on changing the current federal health care laws.

Instead of focusing on the health insurance issue alone, though, we should heed the remarks of Sen. Jerry Moran when he recently took to the floor of the Senate to identify other health care issues we should be considering. Here are some of the ideas he presented:

Allow health insurance competition across state lines to potentially lower premium costs with a larger pool of clients.

Increase financial support for community health centers – the best business model to provide quality health care for uninsured and under-insured patients.

Allow small businesses to form coverage pools; again to increase the number of members to potentially lower health insurance premiums.

Support the expansion of health savings accounts.

Invest more federal funds in health research to address the root causes of serious health issues (e.g. cancer, Alzheimer’s).

Reduce prescription drug costs.

Invest in preventive care. Again, go “upstream” to the root causes of many chronic disease issues and provide education to stem the increasing tide of diabetes, hypertension and cardiac disease.

Increase funding for graduate medical (physician) education. It seems that more doctors are retiring than being replaced by new physicians. For an aging population, we need more doctors, particularly in rural areas.

Pay physician practices adequately to provide Medicare and Medicaid services. Most private practices lose money when they provide care for senior adults and those on Medicaid. We need more providers to serve these populations, not fewer.

As the CEO of a health care ministry, I want to see improvements made to the ACA, not a complete “gutting” of the law. I want to eventually see everyone in our country insured, not just those who work for companies who can afford to provide health insurance or those individuals who have the ability to pay their premiums.

Access to quality health care should be a right in our country, not a privilege. And, for those of us who have been blessed with private insurance our entire life, just think how different your life might be if you had been uninsured during a health crisis.

Let’s be careful how we change the current health care law and focus more on Sen. Moran’s suggestions to lower the overall cost of health care so that everyone has access.

This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 5:04 AM with the headline "Improve – don’t gut – health care law."