Andy Slavitt, acting administrator for CMS from 2015 to January 2017, said in a recent U.S. Today op-ed that the failure of the American Health Care Act gives the Trump administration and Congress the opportunity to take a bipartisan approach to healthcare reform. He also noted two "simple decisions" the Trump administration could make to help stabilize the health insurance markets.
Mr. Slavitt said the AHCA was rushed and the product of a partisan approach to healthcare reform. "Republicans skirted Democratic input, avoided public hearings, and ended up rushing a bill without enough time for impartial evaluation," he wrote. "The president has a chance to turn this around."
President Donald Trump and Democratic lawmakers should come together to create a bipartisan commission that looks for ways to lower healthcare costs, according to Mr. Slavitt. The commission should include experts who explore strategies that could lead to bipartisan legislation.
Mr. Slavitt also noted that President Trump could have a significant impact on the cost of insurance with two decisions:
1. The Trump administration, with support from Congress, should commit to funding cost-sharing reductions that lower deductibles for lower-income Americans. "Republicans need to drop a lawsuit they filed to stop these payments, or Trump needs to say they are going to continue," he wrote.
2. The Trump administration should enforce the individual mandate — which requires most Americans to have health insurance or face a tax penalty — until a different plan can be agreed upon.
"Those two actions will reduce costs for millions and need to be done now before insurers submit initial premiums for next year, or inaction will drive up premiums," said Mr. Slavitt.
With the AHCA scrapped, Mr. Slavitt said lawmakers should turn their focus away from repealing the ACA and "toward what Americans now expect — both parties working together to improve it."
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