Republican Senator Rick Scott, says he doesn’t want to dismantle Obamacare, but he wants to make some changes, offering what he says is a practical, consumer-driven alternative. Dubbed the "More Affordable Care Act", Scott says he wants to find a solution that would enhance Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.
Scott said his approach keeps core ACA structures in place, including healthcare.gov, state-run exchanges, and protections for pre-existing conditions.
"One aspect of the bill- we already have an executive order for hospital price transparency. If we don’t see the price, it’s hard to shop. This puts the power back into the back into the hands of patients. Where they are now shopping for insurance plans. It will drive up competition. What happens when competition increases? Prices go down.” Healthcare Expert and CEO of Direct Care Alliance, David Balat said.
At the center of Scott’s plan, are Trump Health Freedom Accounts, modeled on health savings accounts, but structured to receive federal subsidy dollars directly rather than being routed through insurers.
“There are imaging and surgery centers and specialists that are tired of the insurance game. They will go where the direct low price up front, because they don’t have to use their billers and collectors, etc. There’s so much money built into the business of medicine so they can collect the money that they have a contract for with an insurance company. If you eliminate that and get cash up front, you can get significant discounts.” Balat explained.
Balat says one of the reasons the government shutdown was dreadfully long, was because Democratic leaders pushed to extend Obamacare Emergency Co-Vid funds. He says Republicans stood on the ground that Americans get their regular subsidies and the additional subsidies are no longer necessary. In addition, he says this could be a significant turning point in healthcare, empowering the patient. He says it’s not only the fault of American people for not speaking out for more transparency in health care, but he also points to Washington, as lawmakers have emboldened insurance companies far too long.