They have plenty of ideas. Allowing health insurance to be purchased out of state would greatly lower costs by increasing competition.
From the Health Care Freedom Coalition:
Buying Health Insurance Across State Lines
Individuals who buy their own health insurance plan and many small employers are limited in the type of health insurance that they can buy. Most are forced to buy insurance in their state that contains all the benefit mandates and benefit regulations imposed on them by state legislators. Families in Minnesota are forced to buy a health plan that contains 62 mandates, while families in Idaho can buy a plan with 13 mandates. In New Jersey, a family HMO costs $1,652 per month, while a family can buy a HMO plan in Pennsylvania for $707 per month!
The Constitution permits interstate commerce, so American families should be allowed to buy health insurance that meets their health care needs and should be allowed to buy insurance from other states. If a family in Idaho wants to buy a health care plan with all of Minnesota’s 63 mandates, they should have the choice to buy. If a family in Minnesota wants to buy a health care plan with Idaho’s 13 mandates, they should have that choice.
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Health Care Price Disclosure
Since the creation of HSAs, more than 6 million Americans have chosen them for their health care needs. While more Americans will continue to choose HSAs, it is important for America’s families to know the cost of health care. Hospitals mark up their prices dramatically – some more than 500 percent – so it is important for an open health care system for shoppers to know the cost of the care that is being provided.
Hospitals and doctors should be encouraged as a condition of accepting Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement to publish their cost to provide the care. They should also publish the reimbursement schedule from various payers, including Medicare and insurance companies, so consumers will be better educated.
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More Competition Between Facilities
Consolidation and mergers of hospitals has led to actual or near-monopoly conditions in many communities in the United States. Monopoly always leads to excessive prices, poor quality, and lack of innovation. The biggest obstacle to increasing innovation and competition are the Certificate of Need laws that are still in effect in most states. These laws are 1970s style regulations that allow existing facilities to block the establishment of new competitors. They should be repealed.
