47. Life after Obamacare

47.  Life after Obamacare

 

So let’s say Republicans win the House, the Senate and the Presidency, and they’ve held to their word and repealed Obamacare.  What now?

 

Well, first let’s think about what repeal might mean?  The law may be gone, but Obama and his team have had 2 ½ years to enact many parts of it—agencies, departments, grant programs, panels, commissions, rules and regulations that took effect as early as September 2010.  What happens to those?  In January 2011, the newly Republican-controlled House passed a bill to repeal Obamacare “as if it had never been passed”.   Even then, it would have been difficult to figure out what needed to be reversed, and IF it could be.  Once a government program is in place, it is very difficult to get rid of it.  One agency is intertwined with another, which in turn depends on employees in another agency, and so forth.  It’s like picking a burr out of a cotton ball.  That said, I’m more than willing to do whatever it takes to destroy all remnants of this heinous beast!

 

Now, when it comes to addressing legislation for real market-based healthcare reform, Congress needs to, first and foremost, recognize and respect the 10^th Amendment to the Constitution—Whatever powers are not expressly granted to the federal government by the Constitution, are hereby granted to the states and the people.  Healthcare, remember, is not one of the powers granted to the federal government.  In spite of that, over the years, the fed has been granted power over Medicare and the Veteran’s Administration Hospital system.

 

So, in my opinion, Congress should clearly outline what is and isn’t their responsibility when it comes to healthcare:  they get Medicare and the VA; the individual states and We the People get the rest.  I suggest that we privatize Medicare insurance coverage as outlined in the Ryan-Wyden plan; and we privatize healthcare for our ex-military and veterans.  We let the states decide whether they want to have government-run healthcare or regulated free-market systems or a little of each.  Congress and the President should get rid of the multitude of unnecessary regulations that burden healthcare providers, businesses, and technology companies.  Allow the sale of insurance across state lines and nationally; and oh yeah--make a law prohibiting the federal government from forcing citizens to purchase health insurance.  Thank You, Justice Roberts!

(Note: This commentary is by Dr. Jill Vecchio.)