The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is the centerpiece legislation of the Obama presidency. Six years after its passage, however, Obamacare has dramatically raised insurance premiums while narrowing doctor networks. Although it mandates that Americans purchase government-approved health insurance, enrollment has fallen 38 percent short of initial projections for private insurance coverage. Meanwhile, the legislation’s 10-year cost is now projected to be $1 trillion above the Congressional Budget Office’s original estimate.
In An Alternative to Obamacare, Hudson Senior Fellow Jeffrey H. Anderson has proposed ways to decrease costs, provide access to insurance for people who want to buy it, and fix longstanding inequities in the tax code that pertain to health care. On May 25, Hudson Institute hosted a discussion featuring National Review’s Ramesh Ponnuru, Juniper Research Group’s Chris Jacobs, and Jeffrey Anderson. They discussed Anderson’s suggested alternative and his ten guidelines for real health care reform.