Press Release

AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin Testifies on Proposals to Achieve Universal Health Care Coverage

In testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin discusses a number of legislative proposals aimed at expanding insurance coverage, ranging from a single-payer “Medicare for All” system to expanding access to Medicare and variations on the concept of a public-option plan.

In his testimony, Holtz-Eakin concludes:

Ensuring that all Americans have access to reasonably priced insurance coverage is a laudable goal. Many of the legislative efforts before you today, however, seem aimed at forcing people to take advantage of that coverage. I would advise a different approach. Policymakers would be well served to identify those populations that are truly without coverage options and target solutions directly to those individuals. Of primary concern are the 2.4 million people in the Medicaid coverage gap. Helping that population does not require a complete restructuring of the American health care system, a one-size-fits-all approach, or $30 trillion or more in increased federal spending.

Read the testimony.

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