Opinion: The GOP has a plan at hand

Jennifer Hutchinson is a freshman political science major and columnist for the Daily Kent Stater.  Contact her at [email protected].

Jennifer Hutchinson

It seems that in the days following the Conservative Political Action Conference, the Republican Party is more determined than ever to present an alternative to the healthcare law. In my last column, I discussed how the party has many ideas, billed and policies on the table, but they just have to make them more well-known to the public, and it appears they are doing just that.

The GOP is following an “agreed-upon conservative approach.” According to the Washington Post, their plan includes tenets, such as an expansion of high-risk insurance pools, promotion of health savings accounts and inducements for small businesses to purchase coverage together.

It could also include the ability to buy insurance across state lines, guarantee renewability of policies and promote changes to medical-malpractice regulations. While alternatives to the healthcare law have been presented for some time, this will be the first time they will be endorsed as a single-vision plan by the Republican Party.

The plan speaks for itself with the title: “A Stronger Health Care System: The GOP Plan for Freedom, Flexibility, & Peace of Mind.” While the GOP is offering alternatives to the Affordable Care Act, this new plan is hardly meant to be a full replacement of the healthcare law.

Republicans’ main objective right now is to shift the power of the program from the federal government to the states, while getting more Americans on private plans.

The Washington Post recorded Rep. Ron Barber, D-Ariz., stating that he would like to “make some amendments and adjustments” to the health-care law but added that “the bill is the law and not going anywhere.”

While he is correct that this is the law, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., best articulated my feelings, saying, “We’ve got to get to where you can compare the two perspectives: Republican and Democrat. We’ve got all of these bills out there, so we’re going to take this core of policies and grow from there.”

It’s as if leaders of the Republican Party read my column last week (I wish) because they are doing exactly what I said should be done. The party needs to take the great ideas it has and make them accessible to the public.

Republicans need to institute and promote a single plan that people can look to as an alternative to Obamacare. With the healthcare law leaving people with grave concerns about their future, Republicans are here with a plan. They are doing the best they can do with the task at hand.

It would take a lot to completely repeal the bill and that has obviously proved unsuccessful in the past; however, that doesn’t mean that we can’t fight back with other measures.

I believe this plan may be the closest thing we will see to compromise between the parties. Many of us elected our Congressmen to contest Obamacare. They are listening to us, but we, in turn, must listen to them and support what they are trying to accomplish.