Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) unveiled his Obamcare alternative Monday, complete with a three-step plan that he believes is the best course of action should the Supreme Court essentially gut the healthcare law in their King v. Burwell decision this summer.
“To mitigate the fallout that will come with the collapse of this law, and to meet the long-term goal of replacing it with conservative solutions, I have worked to assemble a three part plan to serve as a foundation for the post-ObamaCare era,” Rubio wrote in a Fox News op-ed. “While other measures may be necessary to correct the damage done by this law, I believe these three ideas are the crucial elements of a plan to put patients and families back in control of their health care decisions.”
Second, we must reform insurance regulations to encourage innovation. Americans with pre-existing conditions should be able to find coverage through their state’s federally-supported, actuarially-sound high risk pools. Americans living in high-cost states should have the opportunity to purchase coverage across state lines. Consumer-centered products like health savings accounts should be expanded. And under no circumstances should taxpayers be asked to bail out an insurance company that loses money, as is currently the case under ObamaCare.
Third, we must save Medicare and Medicaid by placing them on fiscally sustainable paths. Without reforms, these programs will eventually cease to be available for those that need them. I believe we must move Medicaid into a per-capita cap system, preserving funding for Medicaid’s unique populations while freeing states from Washington mandates. Medicare, meanwhile, should be transitioned into a premium support system, empowering seniors with choice and market competition, just like Medicare Advantage and Part D already do.”
Rubio is not the only Republican to put forth a plan should King v. Burwell rule against Obamacare. Republican Reps. John Kline, Paul Ryan and Fred Upton and Sens. Lamar Alexander, Orrin Hatch, and John Barrasso have also presented their ideas. But Rubio is the first likely 2016 presidential candidate to outline his specific Obamacare alternative.
“Over the last five years, ObamaCare has revealed the painful consequences of placing our faith in big government. Government’s ambitions may be limitless, but its abilities are not,” Rubio wrote.
“The free market, when allowed to function as intended, has no such limitations. It has an inexhaustible ability to empower our people and meet their needs. We need leaders in Congress – and in the White House – who will recognize that fact.”
