Vulnerable Patients Shouldn't Be Forced Into Government Health Programs

If everyone were young and healthy, it would be easy to create an accessible and low-cost health-care system. But in the real world, many individuals are facing very serious health problems that require a great deal of medical attention. Unfortunately, in Washington there are certain government policies that are making it very difficult for some patients to access the care they need — and special interests in the medical industry have helped to support those policies.

A policy debate is currently raging over how to care for individuals suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This is a life-threatening disease that requires frequent dialysis treatments. Needless to say, these services come at a very high cost. Many insurance companies would prefer to move ESRD patients off of their plans and onto public programs like Medicaid and Medicare, where taxpayers will be responsible for the bulk of the costs. However, because private insurance companies generally provide better service and higher-quality care, many ESRD patients would prefer to avoid government programs.

A number of charitable organizations have stepped up to keep private insurance options on the table when they would otherwise fall through the cracks. This is particularly important because ESRD disproportionately affects low-income individuals, who often struggle to balance employment responsibilities with their treatment regimens. Charitable support is essential for many of these patients to pay their insurance payments to private insurers and keep the coverage they need.

Unfortunately, some private insurance companies have teamed up with opportunistic union groups (which hope to use this controversy to unionize workers at dialysis clinics) to try to prohibit charitable organizations from helping to cover premium costs for ESRD patients. Losing this source of financial support would force these individuals to leave their current insurance plans and move to government plans, such as Medicare or Medicaid. In addition to reducing coverage options and quality of care for these individuals, the result would be a higher burden on government health care programs. This is particularly troubling for taxpayers because Medicare and Medicaid are already facing enormous economic difficulties.

The country’s health entitlement programs are already facing trillions of dollars of unfunded liabilities in the future with no relief in sight. Indeed, the financial woes are slated to worsen. As it currently stands, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services predict that national health-care spending will grow at an annual rate of 5.5 percent between 2017 to 2026. This rate exceeds expected GDP growth by a full percentage point — meaning health care expenditures will consume a larger share of the economy and the federal budget.

To protect taxpayers from oceans of red ink and likely tax hikes that would ensue, Congress must step up and begin to rein in the spending of health entitlement programs. There’s no silver bullet that could fix the problem. Still, it makes sense to address all cost-drivers, such as the additional expenditures that would accrue from moving a large number of ESRD patients from private insurance plans into government-funded health programs.

To that end, Congressman Kevin Cramer (R-ND) has introduced the Access to Marketplace Insurance Act (H.R. 3976), legislation that would allow charitable organizations to make health insurance premium payments on behalf of individuals. This bipartisan bill would end regulatory uncertainty, help sick patients have access to care and prevent additional costs from being heaped onto taxpayers via Medicaid and Medicare. Congress should pass it immediately.

Government health policies have proven time and again to be woefully ineffective at keeping people healthy, and poorly structured when it comes to getting patients the care they need. Special interests have teamed up to make this problem worse by attempting to prohibit solutions to ESRD access problems that have helped patients get necessary medical treatments. Fixing this problem is a no-brainer — but Congress must be willing to act.

Brandon Arnold is the Executive Vice President of the National Taxpayers Union, a nonprofit dedicated to taxpayer advocacy and education for all levels of government.