Focus on improving current health care system

Local businesses and their employees are the lifeblood of Montana’s communities. With our economy reeling from this pandemic, it is more important than ever that businesses of all sizes are able to provide their employees with affordable, quality health coverage. By improving upon the strengths of our current health care system, including employer-provided coverage, instead of starting over from scratch with new government-controlled systems like Medicare for All or the public option, we can improve Montanans’ access to quality, affordable care.

Proposals such as Medicare for All could outright eliminate the kind of private coverage individuals receive through their employers, with the only coverage available being a one-size-fits-all system run by Washington politicians. And while the “public option” has been touted by some politicians as the “moderate” alternative to Medicare for All, a growing chorus of experts and studies tell us that the public option could lead us down the same road, pushing private insurers out of the marketplace, reducing the number of coverage options available to Montanans and leading to higher costs for those who stay on private plans.

In fact, some experts have found that government-run systems, whether the public option or Medicare for All, would result in unaffordable new costs. For those with employer-provided coverage, the public option could mean higher premiums than they are currently paying, and increased costs to the employer may also result in a loss of coverage for their employees, as small and medium-sized businesses are unable to pay unaffordable rates. Meanwhile, economists estimate that Medicare for All’s estimated $32 trillion ten-year cost would be passed on to Americans through substantial middle-class tax increases, which few can afford, especially at a time like this.

Another recent report warns that the public option could harm the finances of hospitals to such a degree that it reduces patients’ access to the care they need, especially those who live in rural areas. Access to quality health care options is an important part of attracting new employers to our state to create good-paying Montana jobs, and any policy that puts our care at risk is a step in the wrong direction.

As Montana job creators determine how to provide the best health coverage to their employees during the largest public health crisis in decades, they must be able to access quality plans at an affordable rate. One-size-fits-all government-controlled health insurance systems like Medicare for All and the public option could take away options, increase costs and threaten the quality of care. Instead, policymakers and leaders should focus on improving the current system and increasing access to health care for all Montanans.

—Todd O’Hair, President and CEO, Montana Chamber of Commerce