SOUTHERN MN REPUBLICAN VOICES: Health care, American style

Access to health care and health insurance is an important value for Americans. In 1986, Congress passed the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which requires every hospital that accepts Medicare funds to treat a patient regardless of their ability to pay or their immigration status in the U.S. In 2010, the Affordable Care Act, or "ObamaCare," was passed into national law, ensuring that all Americans have access to health insurance, including those who do not have employer-sponsored health insurance plans or Medicare.

While ObamaCare was originally intended to counter health insurance companies' ability to deny care based on cost and pre-existing conditions, the loss of marketplace competition has caused health insurance premiums to skyrocket. Additionally, physicians' dissatisfaction with the business model they are forced to practice within is reaching new highs, and less choice, especially in rural areas, is now commonplace.

So what does an American health care system look like? Statistics show that 65% of the United States population accesses health insurance through their employers. Approximately 20% acquire coverage through Medicare and its subsidiaries, and roughly 15% acquire coverage through ObamaCare or cost-sharing plans.

President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo and Rep. Dan Crenshaw have introduced national legislation to improve ObamaCare, not eliminate it. Such legislation would retain key components, many of which are already enacted policies in many states. One such distinguishing aspect would be price transparency laws, defined as prices posted online and in public at hospitals and clinics that receive Medicare funds. (Minnesota has an online price transparency law that was authored by state Sen. Rich Draheim and signed into law in 2019.) Such laws support competition for health care dollars for every patient.

Another component of the national legislation seeks federal funding for HSA accounts through vouchers offered to eligible recipients (like SNAP and housing benefits). Additionally, it allows HSA fund use for broader out-of-pocket expenses and further allows HSA funds to pay for direct primary care. Emerging across the nation, the physician-led movement of DPC is gaining traction. It allows doctors to operate under an alternative business model rather than remain burdened by the moral quagmire of having to submit their professional judgment to an administrator in an insurance company.

Under the DPC model, patients pay a modest monthly fee, along with privately purchasing a catastrophic health insurance policy for serious illness coverage. In exchange, patients have direct access to their doctor for urgent, comprehensive and preventive care. DPC is growing rapidly and already has 3,500 practices nationwide. Dr. Nick Krawczyk with Torrey Pines Clinic here in Northfield was one of the first 1,000 practices in the nation to make the shift.

It is notable that high-risk pools or "reinsurance" are already available in 17-plus states. Minnesota offers MNsure for serious illness coverage. Such options would remain available under the proposed legislation.

Re-establishing principled, free-market provisions in the health care industry will provide a thriving business model for current and upcoming medical professionals and make for happier health care experiences for all.