Conservatives say relaxing mandatory health benefits will tame premiums

Conservatives say relaxing mandatory health benefits will tame premiums: Health Care Costs. House Republicans' plan to pull 10 specific categories of “essential health benefits” from federal requirements would have little affect on premium costs, experts say.

MGB:_There are four ways to reduce premiums. The most obvious is national price regulation of drugs and state price regulation of hospitals-man of which behave monopolisticly. The second is catastrophic insurance with health savings accounts and lines of credit to bridge the gaps and pay for non-standard (abortion) services. Of course, this would make it so easy to get care that no one would avoid it due to price so there would be little savings. The third is a public option, with taxpayer subsidies, to pay for the sickest cases, allowing private funds to lower rates. The fourth is single payer, which would negotiate all prices and effectively regulate them by denying payment for gouging.

The GOP cost cutting is simply letting the capitalists abuse the sick to keep their profits up. Their plans are and should be DOA. The Speaker needs to make a deal with the Democrats, not the Freedom Caucus. Of course, the Speaker is practically a member of the Freedom Caucus, so a deal that won’t die in the Senate is impossible. Giving Trump a win in the House is a hollow victory.