For many in West Virginia, Obamacare’s skyrocketing costs, few insurance options and limited choices in doctors and hospitals have hurt families, patients and small businesses. At the same time, others have benefited from our state’s decision to expand coverage through Medicaid.
Still, the reality is that Obamacare is not working for a majority of Americans.
Congress recently took the first steps toward repealing Obamacare and transitioning toward policies that will make health care more affordable and flexible.
By scrapping what is broken in Obamacare and providing affordable health care options, we can once again empower Americans to make the best health care decisions for their families.
To achieve this goal, I have joined with my colleagues in the Senate to introduce an innovative plan to replace Obamacare.
Known as the Patient Freedom Act, this proposal removes Obamacare’s most burdensome regulations and eliminates costly penalties and mandates.
The Patient Freedom Act keeps in place essential consumer protections. It would maintain coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, as well as children and dependents through the age 26. It would also preserve coverage for mental health and substance use disorders, and ensure the continuation of federal Black Lung provisions that benefit many West Virginia miners and their families.
By eliminating the current “one size fits all” approach, the Patient Freedom Act returns authority to the states, giving individuals and families more choices when looking for a doctor and purchasing insurance.
It’s a solution that’s driven by you — the patient — not Washington.
Following repeal, states would have three paths forward for replacing Obamacare to ensure no one sees a gap in his or her health care coverage.
First, a state could design an alternative solution that best meets the needs of its population without any federal assistance.
Second, a state could choose a new market-based alternative that empowers patients and protects those with pre-existing conditions. Under this option, the state would set its own insurance regulations and be eligible for nearly all of the funding it would have received under Obamacare.
What does this mean for a state like West Virginia that has already expanded Medicaid? It means they would retain the federal funding to continue their Medicaid expansion. A state could then choose to keep the current structure of the Medicaid expansion or convert that funding to subsidies for individuals to purchase private insurance.
Under this alternative, individuals who do not receive insurance through their employer, Medicare or Medicaid could be eligible for financial assistance. These funds would be deposited directly into individual Roth Health Savings Accounts, which, combined with a high deductible health plan and basic pharmacy plan, would create a basic health plan. Individuals, if they choose, could then use these funds to purchase more robust coverage to meet their specific health care needs, and states could choose to auto-enroll beneficiaries.
Finally, a state could choose to reinstate Obamacare.
The Patient Freedom Act is a smart way forward that deserves broad, bipartisan support in Congress, and here’s why: It returns power to the states and increases access to affordable, quality health care that meets the diverse needs of families across the nation. It also takes steps to cover the nearly 30 million Americans who still do not have health insurance.
For years, I have listened to the concerns many in West Virginia have about Obamacare — from those who are worried about losing their coverage to small business owners that can no longer afford to absorb the high cost of insurance for their employees. I’ve spoken to families who skip routine doctor’s visits because of high deductibles and co-pays only to find themselves in the emergency room later.
As we move forward, I am working to balance each of these needs and will evaluate additional replacement plans to ensure we find the best solution for West Virginians.
With new leadership, we can finally fix Obamacare and replace it with a system that offers more choice, lower costs and more control to patients and families.
Now is the time to seize this opportunity, and this legislation is an excellent start.
Shelley Moore Capito is a U.S. senator from West Virginia.
