�Թϲ�����

Republicans are looking under every seat cushion to finance tax cuts and the political bribes that Members of Congress are demanding for their votes. One surprising potential “pay for,” believe it or not, would be repealing ObamaCare’s individual mandate. The IRS administers the mandate, which ObamaCare euphemistically dubbed an “individual responsibility payment.” But Chief Justice John Roberts called it a tax to declare it constitutional, so a policy and fiscal nexus exists. (11/5)

President Trump recently tweeted that GOP tax-writers should include a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate in their tax reform legislation. This is a singularly bad idea that most Republicans are likely to reject. (Senators Tom Cotton and Rand Paul are exceptions, having seconded Trump’s suggestion.) It would be irrational and unproductive at this point to import the fractious political combat associated with health-care reform into tax negotiations that are already loaded with controversies. (James C. Capretta, 11/6)

Despite the best efforts of the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress to destroy the Affordable Care Act, the law is not collapsing. And on Wednesday, Americans began signing up for health insurance policies for next year through the online exchanges created by that law. (11/4)

It’s hard to imagine anything less political than Americans’ everyday interactions with our health care system. Illness and accident don’t distinguish between Democrat and Republican. Neither do rising premiums, pre-existing conditions, or the fear that our loved ones might find themselves without insurance. Like it or not, our basic need for health care is something that unites us. (Mack McLarty and Tom Davis, 11/6)

I certainly understand that when people think their health care will be cheaper if it is government-run, this can be an appealing proposition. The reality throughout the world, however, tells a very different story in those single-payer systems. (Alan Preston, 11/4)

In recent years, how we deliver and receive health care in Montana has been transformed. ... One major reason for this was legislative action in 2015. Until then, far too many Montanans went to work every day with the knowledge that access to health insurance and a doctor or nurse practitioner was beyond their reach. ... Montana’s lawmakers saw what was happening in their communities and delivered a bipartisan compromise to expand Medicaid coverage to these low-income, working families, friends and neighbors. As a result, Montana’s uninsured rate has dropped from a staggering 20 percent in 2013 to 7 percent in 2017, and many rural hospitals struggling under the weight of uncompensated care were thrown a lifeline. (Dick Brown, 11/5)