Republican candidate Jeb Bush is warning that electing a Democrat to the White House next would would mean an expansion of the healthcare law that the GOP opposes, and argued in favor of his own plan to attack healthcare costs without expanding government.
In a Washington Post op-ed Tuesday night, Bush said Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders would “expand Obamacare, growing our debt and raising taxes in the process.”
“My Obamacare alternative addresses the root causes of high health-care costs, offers patients more options and strengthens the safety net for the most vulnerable Americans,” Bush wrote in explaining his conservative plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.
According to Bush, his plan would lower costs by allowing consumers to make treatment choices “that are right for them,” and not making an insurer directly pay all the bills. Patients, he says, would be able to choose from a “range of innovative coverage options,” spend less on premiums and save for more out-of-pocket costs with a health savings account.
“My approach would also make these HSAs work better for those with chronic conditions by offering plans with lower deductibles for certain services related to a given condition and would establish transparent information on the value of services so consumers have the information they need to make informed choices and demand value,” Bush wrote.
Bush also suggested overhauling and modernizing government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health to promote innovation.
Finally, Bush suggested strengthening the “safety net.”
“The primary goal of the tax credits for the purchase of insurance included in my plan is to finally achieve tax fairness between the employer and individual health insurance markets,” he wrote, saying these changes will complement reforms to Medicaid.
Bush, has been sliding in the polls in recent months, and didn’t appear to break through the pack in Tuesday night’s debate. In a RealClearPolitics average of polls, Bush sits in fifth place with 6 percentage points.
