Guest Columnist – A government takeover of health care wouldn’t give Hispanics the quality health care they deserve

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by our guest columnists do not reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of this publication.

Impulsando la libertad y el progreso

By Angel Merlos

Strategic director of The LIBRE Institute in Colorado.

Haga click aquí para leer la versión en español

With the official end of the government’s Covid emergency, there are still many unanswered questions about how government leaders and our public health officials handled the crisis. The U.S. House has even established a special committee to figure all that out.

But we do not need a special committee to know that many of the problems during Covid were caused by outdated laws and regulations from years of government interference in health care. And things only began to get better during Covid once federal, state, and local governments began waiving rules on things like telehealth, testing kits, laws limiting hospital beds, and letting health care professionals work across state lines.

The benefits of personal choice

Even in normal times these kinds of barriers undermine the system’s ability to provide care. It doesn’t have to be this way. There is a better path forward — the Personal Option.

American health care costs too much, with too much paperwork and too many surprise bills. A complete government takeover of the system like Medicare for All would only make things worse — and let special interests game the system. There is a lot of good in American health care, so instead of building a new system from scratch, we need to keep what works and fix what doesn’t. 

A Personal Option is the doctor-supported plan that offers more flexibility and trusts you to make your own decisions, from insurance to what doctors you can see to accessing new therapies. It’s customized, affordable health care.

Promote health savings accounts

For example, health savings accounts are tax-free accounts that holders can use for medical expenses. A recent poll showed 93% of those who have an HSA like them. But because of government rules limiting who can have one, nine-in-ten Americans are denied access to this money-saving option.  With a Personal Option, every American who wants an HSA would be able to have one.

The Personal Option delivers better health care by:

1.         removing barriers that keep you from seeing the doctors you trust.

2.         increasing competition so you pay less, and

3.         expand coverage options that make healthcare less of a hassle.

They look for affordability, reliability and options

Some will tell you that we need a complete government takeover of health care. They even claim it’s free! But Hispanics know better; we know government health care would only lead to higher taxes, higher costs, more bureaucracy, and rationing of care. Many of us came here to escape the kind of total government control found in the countries we left behind.

With a $32 trillion price tag, a government takeover of health care cannot give Americans what they deserve: affordability, dependability, and consumer choice. Instead, policymakers should get behind a Personal Option that expands choice, reduces costs, and gives Americans control over their care.

To reinvent healthcare

Here is the bottom line: every American should be able to get the health care they need when they need it. And because health care is so personal, everyone should be able to choose the coverage that is right for them, regardless of their income. 

We’re not stuck with the status quo; we can fix this. But let’s not to double-down on the same thinking that had us so unprepared for the Covid crisis. Now is the time to work together to reimagine health care with a Personal Option.

Angel Merlos is the strategic director of The LIBRE Institute in Colorado.

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