OPINION | Fighting covid-19 requires an individual health system and not a federal mandate in the US | CNN

Editor's Note:

César Grajales has 10 years of experience in different fields of politics.

He is the founder of the consulting firm Bridge 305 INC.

He is also a registered lobbyist and national director of public affairs for the NGO La Iniciativa LIBRE.

He participates weekly as a political analyst in different media.

(CNN Spanish) -

About a year ago I wrote a column for CNN titled "If you want to see God laugh, tell him your plans."

There he talked about how the pandemic changed everyone's plans, many of these perhaps forever.

Today it seems incredible to me that almost a year later, unfortunately, our lives continue to revolve around this topic.

The political changes in the US have been enormous in recent months and when a new administration arrives, new ideas arrive, although sometimes they are not so good.

One of the biggest challenges this pandemic has brought to American lawmakers is obviously how to approach healthcare through legislation.

With more than 28 million confirmed infections in the United States as of this Tuesday, and after exceeding 500,000 deaths according to data from Johns Hopkins University, we face a long and difficult road in our fight against covid-19.

A mass vaccination program is currently running, but Americans, including the Latino community, still need greater access to quality, affordable health care.

Unfortunately, decades of federal and state red tape and regulations have made health care more difficult and, all too often, too expensive.

It's no wonder, then, that Americans nearly always report consistent dissatisfaction with medical services and the obstacles they must overcome to obtain them, according to a Gallup poll published in December 2020.

The solution, in my view, is not, as some have suggested, a public option, that is, a uniform federal approach for all states.

Latinos are well aware of the costs of this approach.

In most of our countries the public health systems are plagued by a series of problems that go through the lack of resources, corruption, or the lack of quality in the services provided.

advertising

MIRA: Argentina has a new health minister, after a scandal over a possible "VIP vaccination"

Instead of a public option, Americans need a personal option.

For this to be possible, legislators must lead the way in removing many of the barriers that prevent patients from accessing the services they need.

States could start by repealing or reforming their certificate-of-need laws - which require that, for example, to expand a hospital, hospitals directly seek state approval, which will only be given if there is a "sufficient public need" for it.

Several studies show that these certifications reduce access to health care, erode its quality and increase its price.

It is not difficult to see why.

These laws intentionally create local monopolies, often prohibiting new providers from opening their doors to patients and restricting hospitals from purchasing critical supplies, including beds, without the approval of these bureaucrats who are part of these certificates of need boards.

These laws have been so disastrous during the pandemic that 24 US states chose to temporarily suspend them.

Still, lawmakers should vote to permanently repeal these laws in order to improve outcomes and prepare for the next health crisis.

MIRA: Vacunagate: the «moral crisis» that could lead to the disqualification of officials in Peru

States should also work toward reducing their scope of practice laws.

These laws prevent nurses and other medical professionals from providing care that, because of their advanced education and training, they are more than qualified to provide.

Similarly, many states quickly suspended these laws at the beginning of this pandemic.

Now they should do it permanently.

Reforming these laws would dramatically improve access to health care for many Americans.

The US Government also has a role in creating this personal choice.

Congress can work to remove the many barriers that prevent Americans from purchasing health care services through health savings accounts.

The Health Savings Accounts Act, for example, may have eliminated the requirement to have a high deductible insurance policy to own a Health Savings Account (HSA).

The bill also increased the contribution limit for account holders and allowed them to purchase additional types of care for themselves and their families.

The benefits of these reforms are not just theory.

We've already seen how a small change in the federal rule, which allows HSA owners to purchase direct primary care subscriptions with their accounts, has given more Americans 24-hour access to the nation's top medical providers.

The pandemic has exposed many of the flaws in our health care system.

Among them, the bureaucratic mandates.

The US Congress and the states acted swiftly at the beginning of this health crisis to suspend much of this bureaucracy that was preventing Americans from having individual health insurance options.

Many of our legislators deserve praise for that.

But the obstacles to accessing health care will return when the pandemic ends.

That is why lawmakers should seek permanent reforms in our healthcare system, rather than implementing a dysfunctional federal solution with a uniform approach for all states.

Our legislators can do more, without bureaucratic processes, to improve health care for Americans.

The pandemic has proven that it can be done.