Here’s a modest proposal for legislation to replace the Republicans’ latest failed healthcare abomination.
It’s something that is supported by an overwhelming number of Americans, including a solid majority of Republicans, more than nine in 10 Democrats, as well as independents.
This simple little action would reduce the national debt by trillions of dollars over time, something that Republicans are always claiming to be one of their top priorities. It is a proposal that virtually every major elected Democratic official supports.
It’s also something that would dramatically reduce healthcare costs for everyone, something that Trump should like since he promised as much during the 2016 presidential campaign. It would reduce health care costs for the federal government, state governments, even localities which fund health care, not to mention for millions and millions of Americans every year.
It’s something that could quite easily be accomplished, merely by enacting a one-sentence piece of legislation which would:
“Authorize Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to reduce the cost of prescription drugs.”
It’s as simple as that. And it’s a proven success.
Other countries throughout the world enable their federal governments to do the same and have reduced drug costs for their citizenry.
This is almost a no-brainer, in fact.
But, please, Congress, keep it simple. No poison pills. Stick to the above one sentence legislative proposal and you would likely not have just a majority of support in both houses of Congress, but lopsided margins in support.
It’s one simple act that the federal government can take that would dramatically reduce healthcare costs.
And coming off of the embarrassing series of healthcare losses Republicans have subjected themselves to over the past few months, with their horror show called healthcare “reform,” this proposal could give Republicans in the Senate, the House and even the White House an opportunity to save some face.
The American public’s support for Congress, the White House, Democrats and Republicans would likely improve dramatically should this be enacted, especially since it would include the one thing that Americans support almost universally...bipartisanship.
It is a win, win, win, win win proposal. There is no downside.
In fact, Democrats have already proposed this...so they can get in on the win, too, especially if the two top Democratic leaders, Nancy Pelosi in the House and Chuck Schumer in the Senate were to call for action on this right now.
The iron is hot coming off of the recent Republican health care debacles. Acting on this immediately would do everyone in the country a lot of good.