Let states tailor health care plans

Under Obamacare, insurance premiums in the individual market have more than doubled nationally, and without billions of additional taxpayer dollars, many of those markets are at risk of collapse.

Obamacare was never designed to be patient-friendly. In fact, one of the key tenets of Obamacare is taking power away from patients and local officials. Obamacare gives this decision-making power to the federal government, allowing bureaucrats to call the shots.

The Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson bill would change that by block-granting Obamacare spending to states, empowering those closest to their communities to provide effective solutions.

It would also ensure that federal health spending will be distributed more equitably. Under Obamacare, three states with 20% of our population — California, New York and Massachusetts — get 36% of the funding. Our bill fixes that.

Our bill also repeals harmful, costly provisions like the individual mandate, the employer mandate and the tax on medical devices, while maintaining protections for patients with high-cost and pre-existing conditions. And contrary to those who claim it would cut Medicaid, spending would rise annually in a sustainable way.

History has shown that states are laboratories of democracy. Our proposal is based on the principles of welfare reform, where states improved the lives of their citizens while saving taxpayers money.

If citizens in your state believe Obamacare is working, you can keep Obamacare by passing it into law at the state level. The federal government will provide equitable financial support to that state’s plan.

But if you live in a state where Obamacare isn’t working — and is unlikely ever to work — your state will receive funding to design a system fitting to your state.

We strongly believe that state and local officials will demonstrate far more compassion for their constituents than will unelected, faceless bureaucrats in Washington. Our goal is to get the federal government out of the health care business by providing states the flexibility and funding to design plans that meet their unique needs.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is a sponsor of legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare.