“Make America Healthy Again,” or “MAHA,” is no longer just a slogan or federal policy.
It’s the name of a bill being sponsored by U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo. 7th District, that would create an alternative to the Affordable Care Act. It would allow Americans to opt in to an alternative system of tax-free health savings accounts.
He explained his MAHA bill during an appearance on St. Louis radio station KFTK, saying it would reform both health insurance and healthcare itself:
“On the insurance side is the demand, so we need to force people from purchasing or increasing the demand of the of the insurance that they don’t really need,” he said. “On the supply side, we can address it by saying, ‘Let’s get more doctors in the pipeline. Let’s make it cheaper for doctors to go through residency schools.’”
Burlison also said that it’s time for the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, to go.
“It just is not a workable solution,” he said. “We’ve got to move away from it. And that’s why my plan, and many other conservatives have a similar plan, which is to give people an off-ramp into a new marketplace that has more affordable products that they can pick from.”
Democrats have been pushing for renewing tax credits in order to keep the Affordable Care Act functioning, which Republicans have been opposing.
Burlison’s MAHA bill would also reduce requirements for prescriptions for some drugs.
“(Let’s) make it easier for patients to get access to many more drugs and not have to get a prescription for all of the drugs that they currently have to get a prescription for,” Burlison said.
He’s confident the U.S. House would pass his bill but said it would likely have to be fast-tracked as a reconciliation bill for the U.S. Senate to pass it – meaning a 51% simple majority could pass it. It’s the same procedure Republicans used to pass President Trump’s One Big Beautiful budget bill.
KFTK Radio in St. Louis contributed this report
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