Connect

By Bobby Jindal and Hannah Anderson

The government shutdown threatens to give dead people Medicaid benefits. Yes, you read that correctly. The radical and partisan proposal to reopen the government insists on repealing the provisions of the “Working Families Tax Cut” legislation to ensure that the dollars, doctors, and care are diverted to the people most in need: the recently deceased.

We’re being facetious, but you get the point. The radical Left was so desperate to fulfill its base’s wishes in giving healthcare to illegal immigrants that Democrats proposed repealing the full suite of pro-patient reforms in the WFTC bill, including the very commonsense measure of ensuring that states do not get ongoing federal funding for those no longer alive. The Department of Government Efficiency found 9.9 million Americans when investigating the number of deceased people still on Social Security’s database. States should do the same for Medicaid, ensuring that every dollar available goes to the most vulnerable Americans and is not lost to waste, fraud, and abuse.

But it doesn’t end there. In their push to spend money on illegal immigrant healthcare, Democrats also repealed the groundbreaking Rural Health Transformation Fund. This fund, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, makes a $50 billion capital investment into rural communities where there are roughly 30 doctors per 100,000 patients. Compare this with urban communities, which have 263 doctors per 100,000 patients. It is not America First to rob rural communities of life-saving funding in order to reopen the California loophole, using Medicaid to pay for the healthcare of illegal immigrants in the state.

Finish reading at WashingtonExaminer.com

By Bobby Jindal and Hannah Anderson

President Donald Trump’s negotiations with pharmaceutical companies demonstrate how his Art of the Deal approach to governance produces results for working-class Americans. President Trump is the first national leader willing to drain the swamp, taking on powerful lobbyists and special interests to deliver lower prices for patients. Democrats have simply shifted costs from patients to taxpayers, while Republicans have too often been reluctant to take on generous corporate donors. The result has been that Americans spend more on health care than other developed countries, but have shorter average life expectancies.

President Trump, on September 30, made news by announcing a deal with Pfizer—the first of many—to secure most favored nation pricing for Medicaid patients on the company’s existing drugs and for all Americans on its new drugs. This means American patients will no longer pay three to four times more than patients in other developed countries for the same drugs.

The creation of TrumpRx, a website where American patients with a prescription can go to purchase drugs directly from drug manufacturers, received far less attention Yet, direct-to-consumer (DTC) pricing models like TrumpRx could have a huge impact. For instance, Eucrisa, a drug prescribed to approximately a million American patients with eczema at almost $1,000 a tube, will be offered to Americans at an 80 percent discount—bringing the price under $200.

Finish reading at Newsweek.com

By Bobby Jindal and Fran Soistman

Business leaders and policymakers have been sounding the alarm for years: The employer-sponsored health insurance model is unsustainable. But with the cost of group health insurance premiums up 25% in five years, a fix may be in the works.

Introduced during the first Trump administration, individual coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements continued to receive federal support through the Biden years. Now, if key provisions under consideration in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” are passed, Congress will expand ICHRAs (renaming them “CHOICE” arrangements) and transform them into a compelling alternative to traditional group health insurance.

Just as we saw a transition away from employer pension plans to 401(k) plans for retirement, many believe we’re starting to see a comparable shift in the way health benefits work. As an alternative to the costly group health insurance model, ICHRA allows companies to make tax-preferred contributions toward the premiums of health plans employees select for themselves and their families in the open market. Plans must meet federal minimum coverage standards to be qualified…

FINISH READING AT WASHINGTONEXAMINER.COM

By Bobby Jindal and Fran Soistman

Business leaders and policymakers have been sounding the alarm for years: The employer-sponsored health insurance model is unsustainable. But with the cost of group health insurance premiums up 25% in five years, a fix may be in the works.

Introduced during the first Trump administration, individual coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements continued to receive federal support through the Biden years. Now, if key provisions under consideration in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” are passed, Congress will expand ICHRAs (renaming them “CHOICE” arrangements) and transform them into a compelling alternative to traditional group health insurance.

Just as we saw a transition away from employer pension plans to 401(k) plans for retirement, many believe we’re starting to see a comparable shift in the way health benefits work. As an alternative to the costly group health insurance model, ICHRA allows companies to make tax-preferred contributions toward the premiums of health plans employees select for themselves and their families in the open market. Plans must meet federal minimum coverage standards to be qualified…

FINISH READING AT WASHINGTONEXAMINER.COM

Bobby Jindal and Charlie Katebi

During his first term, President Donald Trump made groundbreaking, bipartisan reforms to require hospitals to disclose their prices to the public. Unfortunately, most hospitals continue to withhold vital pricing information from patients. Now Trump is ordering federal agencies to strengthen these reforms.

For decades, most hospitals hid the price of their healthcare services from patients looking for care. Without this information, patients had no idea how much their healthcare would cost until they received it. This lack of transparency foisted large and unexpected hospital bills on patients and often saddled them with crippling medical debt.

In 2019, however, Trump decided to end this uncertainty and give patients control over their healthcare. That year, his administration implemented a policy that requires hospitals to publicly disclose the prices of 300 common, nonemergency services on their websites. These reforms promised to empower patients to comparison-shop for the best healthcare services at the most affordable price. Transparency revealed that some hospitals charge substantially higher prices than others in the same metropolitan area. Families can review the prices of multiple hospitals and choose the more affordable option. Health plans could also use publicly available prices to negotiate lower reimbursements on behalf of their members.

Finish reading on WashintonExaminer.com

Bobby Jindal and Charlie Katebi

When other countries systematically underpay for drugs, everyone suffers

In his inaugural address, President Donald Trump vowed to end the chronic disease epidemic and keep America’s children healthy and disease-free. An important step begins abroad, pressuring other wealthy countries to abandon policies that restrict access to lifesaving medicines, ensuring chronically ill patients receive the treatments they need.

Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, pose one of the most significant health threats to Americans today. The share of Americans with multiple chronic conditions increased from 21.8% in 2001 to 27.2% in 2018. In 2022, these illnesses claimed the lives of 1.9 million Americans, accounting for eight out of the 10 leading causes of death.

High-quality prescription drugs are among the most effective treatments for chronic diseases. Pharmaceutical products can reduce the severity of patients’ conditions so they can live longer and healthier lives with fewer medical expenses — every dollar spent on medications for diabetes and congestive heart failure can save $3-$10 on emergency room and inpatient hospital visits. A study published in 2022 found that overall, prescription drugs are responsible for 66% of the increase in longevity in the United States between 2006 and 2016. Imagine the difference treatments not yet available might make.

Finish reading on STATnews.com

Bobby Jindal And Newt Gingrich

Trump can usher in an affordable and accountable health care system

When he returns to office, President-elect Trump has the opportunity to fix the broken American health care system by doubling down on his first-term agenda of delivering price transparency for patients.

Instead of protecting American patients, the Biden administration rescinded or failed to fully implement the very basic requirements that patients should know the cost of their treatment before they get it.

By finally removing the veil between medical services and prices, Trump can empower patients to shop for the right care at the right price, avoid overcharges, and give employers and unions a better idea of the costs in advance so that they can optimally design health benefits.

Recommitting to this reform should be at the top of Trump’s first 100-day agenda.

Finish reading on FoxNews.com

Bobby Jindal And Charlie Katebi

Time to put an end to several Biden administration ‘patient-last’ policies

After years of crushing inflation, “woke” priorities and bureaucratic overregulation, Donald Trump and the Republican Party achieved a resounding victory in November. Part of that victory was built upon his promise to challenge the status quo in our healthcare system and to “make America healthy again.” The first step? Ending patient-last policies in Medicare, Medicaid, drug pricing and health insurance that prioritize the health of the healthcare system over the health of patients, driving up the cost of care at the expense of patients and taxpayers.

Healthcare is the only market where customers discover the price after consuming a good or service, and these surprising costs are contributing to crushing medical debt. It doesn’t have to be this way. The first Trump administration instituted sweeping changes for patients to protect their right to know their healthcare prices, but the Biden administration caved to big DC interests and hasn’t properly enforced them. This has allowed patient-last practices to flourish; for example, the price of a routine colonoscopy in Wisconsin varies from $88 to $1,940, but a patient doesn’t find out what they’re paying until after the procedure is done and is unable to find the right provider at the right price. It’s not just patients who don’t know the price ahead of time — the employers and unions writing the check for the care are often blocked from getting an itemized receipt of the drugs and treatments that they paid for, which keeps them from being able to negotiate down the costs. Policymakers should ensure that these price transparency rules are enforced and made permanent, making it easier and cheaper to get healthy.

Finish reading on TheSpectator.com

By Bobby Jindal

Seniors rely on Medicare Advantage for medical care and peace of mind

America’s seniors shouldn’t be used as pawns in a political game. But that is exactly what could be happening right now in the waning days of President Biden’s administration.

President Biden has made numerous claims over the years that it’s Republicans who are the party that supposedly wants to cut the Medicare program. President Biden needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror. It is actually the Biden administration that’s spent the last two years quietly chipping away at one of the most popular healthcare programs for our seniors: Medicare Advantage. And now, apparently not satisfied with the damage they have already inflicted, it appears the Biden team is trying to squeeze in one more cut on the way out the door.

Medicare Advantage shows how choice and competition can deliver better outcomes at lower costs for seniors and taxpayers. Nearly 35 million American seniors, over half of total Medicare beneficiaries, choose Medicare Advantage for their health coverage over a traditional government-run Medicare plan. Medicare Advantage plans are offered and managed by private health insurers that contract with Medicare. Their popularity has boomed over the years because they offer better value at a lower cost for seniors. Added benefits under Medicare Advantage plans like dental and vision care, better access to preventative care, along with improved health outcomes have helped ingrain their value to America’s seniors.

Finish reading on FoxNews.com

By Bobby Jindal and Heidi Overton

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are willing to endanger women, children, and parents to advance their radical policies.

Kamala Harris chose a running mate who is as extreme on children’s health care as she is.

Democrat vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz describes his state of Minnesota as a sanctuary. But a sanctuary for whom, exactly? Not for the children deceived into permanently mutilating their bodies. Not for the parents stripped of custody of their children. And not for the babies born alive after abortion.

Minnesota is not a sanctuary — it’s a health risk to children and a graveyard for parental rights.

Governor Tim Walz was one of 14 governors who signed legislation to make their states  “sanctuary states” for children who believe they are transgender. Walz joined states like California, Washington, and New York, drafting an executive order and signing a successive state law encouraging these children to travel to his state for experimental treatments or surgeries.

Finish reading at TheFederalist.com