Health care falls to states

Well, it’s finally out on the table, sort of. Paul Ryan et al. have committed to repealing Obamacare, sort of, and at the same time decided to repeal Medicaid (in 2020). The replacement consists of tax credits, or tax deductions, or block grants … we don’t know because they haven’t made up their minds yet. As Cathy McMorris Rodgers told a group of health care advocates when she was in Spokane, “We’re still looking at the numbers.” They have had seven years to “look at the numbers.”

If you are not already worried, you should be. If Congress gets its way, the only people with “affordable” health care will be them.

All is not lost, however, because the states still have the option of coming up with a better way. Massachusetts still has Romneycare, which was the model for the ACA, and that’s not going away. Coloradocare was rejected by the voters, but the timing was wrong. People actually believed Donald Trump when he said that his plan would be “wonderful,” it would cover everyone and it would save money. Well, guess what?

Washington has a bill to create the Apple Health Care Trust that would cover everyone and be wonderful.

Daniel Schaffer M.D.

Spokane