The 2018 midterm elections are over, and it’s time for Congress to get to work. America faces significant, and in some cases urgent, challenges both at home and abroad.
There is a worrisome possibility that addressing the nation’s pressing needs will take a backseat to politics. Democrats’ fury over losing the 2016 presidential election continues to divert their attention away from issues that are truly essential to the citizenry, and towards partisan tactics, including endless investigations into frequently unfounded allegations.
There is also bipartisan blindness on any number of issues, as Washington’s long-standing and unfortunate inability to grasp Mainstreet concerns continues.
The New York Analysis of Policy and Government reviewed five key issues that Congress should rapidly work on. First up: Health Care, and the Economy.
Healthcare
There will be a great deal of emphasis on fixing healthcare issues, some of which have existed for decades and some of which arose or worsened under the Obamacare legislation. Extensive debate about topics such as affordability, especially coverage for pre-existing conditions, can be expected.
There will be no easy answers to all this, and no viable international examples to follow. Medical care in countries with nationalized health care is even worse.
There are common sense approaches to improving medical care and reducing costs. Major steps would include:
- End limitations on allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines. This can dramatically lower costs.
- Enact tort reform to limit nonsense law suits and drive down the costs of practicing medicine. A key factor that drives costs up and diminishes the timeliness and quality of care: The battery of unnecessary, costly and repetitive tests patients frequently undergo, not for their own benefit but for the concerns of medical practitioners and institutions’ lawsuit avoidance. Tort reform to address this will be difficult, as lawyers’ organizations are among the most powerful lobbyists.
- Mandate more transparency in billing practices, particularly from hospitals. Nebulous and often faulty billing practices add a whole additional layer of consternation. Strict standards of transparency and “plain English” billing should be mandated.
- Allow physicians’ assistants and registered nurses to do far more.
- Permit greater flexibility and choice in health insurance policies.
- End excessive and costly red tape preventing new medications and treatments from gaining approval for use.
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An additional but often ignored challenge is the dismal level of customer service when dealing with medical institutions. In no other endeavor would the long waiting times both to get appointments and in doctor’s offices, particularly specialists, be tolerated. Further, the growing trend of sharply limiting the opportunity for patients to speak to their physicians for more than a few seconds is harmful. As crucial as it is, medicine is a service industry. Developing additional spaces for qualified applicants to medical schools should be a priority in the effort to remedy this.
The Economy
Both Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy successfully sparked and significantly improved the economy through tax cuts. President Trump has been the latest example. Not only should attempts to undo his tax cuts be repulsed, but further tax cuts should be enacted.
Middle income families have been downtrodden for far too long, particularly since President Clinton gave China greater access to the American marketplace, resulting in the loss of about 66,000 U.S. manufacturing plants. It’s time that China and other nations treated America fairly.
It is not a violation of the concept of free trade to demand that U.S. companies be afforded the same opportunity to compete overseas as other nations are given in America. Disunity within Congress could threaten progress by emboldening adversaries such as China that opposition to the White House will result in a softening of resolve to confront the issue. A more united stance on the Trump Administration’s attempt to finally address the unfair trade policies that have hampered the American economy for far too long would lead to greater results. Ironically, a key Democrat constituency, blue collar workers, stands to gain the most from Trump trade goals.
Finally, one of the key disincentives to starting or expanding businesses, especially smaller enterprises, is the dead weight of excess regulation. Slash that red tape to the bare minimum necessary for safety, and let the American entrepreneurial spirit take flight.
Our review continues tomorrow.
Photo: National Park Service