While members of Congress have comprehensive, government-subsidized insurance, yet another Florida Republican[1] isn’t sure most people need such all-encompassing plans.
“The biggest thing we need is we need a system where there are catastrophic health care plans … You can have a health care policy around catastrophic care, but that doesn’t really mean you need a full-blown gold-plated health care policy,” said Rep. Byron Donalds[2] on Daybreak on 92.5 FM WFSX Fox News Radio — Estero[3].
Donalds said he wanted to get rid of the Affordable Care Act in light of “community ratings” that force everyone to subsidize the “about five to 8% of the population that have what we call a major acute medical issue” and drive up costs.
Unburdened by the larger risk pool, Donalds sees savings and flexibility as the watchwords.
“You wouldn’t be forced by government regulation to buy these gold-plated health care policies. You could actually design a health care policy that fits your needs, which is really where we should have been in health care all along,” said Donalds, part of the Republican House majority that voted to end subsidies for Marketplace plans.
Donalds, a Naples Republican running for Florida Governor, is the second major Florida elected official to say citizens didn’t need comprehensive coverage.
“Most people, particularly under 50, what they really need is a catastrophic plan that’s affordable, where then they can pay whatever they’re doing out of a health savings account,” Gov. Ron DeSantis[4] said during a fireside chat at the Hoover Institution[5].
Many Floridians may get to test these theories about whether insurance is necessary.
Alexis Bakofsky[6], the Deputy Commissioner of Life and Health Insurance for Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation, said enrollment could be lowered by “25-30%” if subsidies are terminated.
Currently, 4.7 million Floridians have Affordable Care Act individual insurance, meaning 1.4 million people who have insurance this year could be uninsured in 2026.
References
- ^ yet another Florida Republican (floridapolitics.com)
- ^ Byron Donalds (donalds.house.gov)
- ^ 92.5 FM WFSX Fox News Radio — Estero (www.youtube.com)
- ^ Ron DeSantis (rondesantis.com)
- ^ Hoover Institution (www.hoover.org)
- ^ Alexis Bakofsky (linkedin.com)