Allen West Likes Some Of The Affordable Care Act

by Stuart Shapiro

Speaker Boehner has been clear that he wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act “in its entirety.”  Well, his caucus, facing a tough election is not so sure.  Far, far right Rep. Allen West, for example, has some parts of the Act he wants to keep:

You’ve got to replace it with something,” West said. “If people want to keep their kid on insurance at 26, fine. We’ve got to make sure no American gets turned back for pre-existing conditions, that’s fine. Keep the doughnut hole closed, that’s fine.

Hmmm.  Keeping the doughnut hole closed–that would increase the deficit, a no-no according to the Tea Party talking points?  And requiring coverage for preexisting conditions? Doing that without an individual mandate could drive the health insurance industry out of business. Funny how, as more and more people experience the benefits of the ACA, politicians are more and more reluctant to get rid of it.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.