Repeal and Replace — or Inject?

The GOP ran on the theme of “Repeal or Replace” Obamacare. That’s not going to fly, despite winning the House of Representatives. The Senate won’t agree to repeal, and, even if it did, the president would veto. Not will they replace key provisions for the same reasons. However, good principles that were overlooked in the passage of PPACA could be injected into the law. Transparent prices could be ordered by executive order. The government has those prices through Medicare and Medicaid. Make them public forrthwith. They have the prices they are paying for federal employees. Make them public. Ditto for all state governments. Why are the prices they are paying for health care for their own employees secret information? Further, consumer driven principles could be included as an option in all health plans. That would drop the cost of government plans by one-quarter; it could save Obamacare from insolvency. Primary care could be emphasized over specialty care in all health plans. You get the picture. Pragmatic reforms from the private sector could and should be injected into national law. That kind of compromise should be possible in a grid-locked national government.