This article was first published on The Hill (click here to read in full)

Opponents have accused the Trump administration of taking a fragmented, inconsistent approach toward the health-care system. They are wrong. There is a definite overriding strategy which favors deregulation and the re-introduction of market forces to provide more choices for patients, while at the same time protecting the essential pieces of the existing system — namely, employer-based insurance, Medicare and Medicaid.

“President Trump has a holistic vision on health care. He intends to protect what works and fix what’s broken. To protect private insurance and Medicare — covering 240 million people — from anyone who is trying to attack it.” HHS Secretary Alex Azar

Levers have been employed over the past two and a half years to improve transparency and increase competition. This translates to better quality. If a patient knows the price of what he or she is paying for a health service, it puts that patient in a potentially better position to choose a cheaper alternative.

As Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar emphasized in a speech last Tuesday at the Medicare Advantage Summit, the “Affordable Care Act exchanges represent about 3 percent of our system … health care is much more than just ObamaCare.” Azar pointed out that the ultimate goal of his work is “not just improving health insurance or health-care delivery but improving health.” The theme of maintaining and improving quality of health versus simply extending insurance of any quality is an essential difference from what many Democrats are proposing.

Click here to read the full article on The Hill

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