By DEAN CLANCY | Republicans have been apprehensive about health care since the Obamacare Repeal debacle in 2017. For their part, Democrats will never stop trying to end private health insurance and force everyone into a government-controlled system. If we want to avoid that fate, Republicans cannot cede the issue to Democrats — especially when the public is more favorable to GOP ideas on how to fix the system.

By WASHINGTON EXAMINER | America’s healthcare is inarguably superior to other nations' socialized systems, wherein patients are forced to wait months to be admitted for routine surgeries and hospital treatments. But it has plenty of problems of its own, including soaring costs, very little transparency in pricing, and shrinking access to trusted doctors and treatments. The result is that few people feel they have the choices they deserve when it comes to care. As many as 44% say that they actively avoid seeking care because it’s too complicated and expensive.

By ISRAEL ORTEGA | America may offer some of the best health care in the world. But doctors’ appointments are still too hard to make. Certain prescription medicines are too expensive. Prices are obscure. And finding the proper care and coverage is confusing, making shopping around almost impossible. Inflation has exacerbated all these burdens, and each one falls especially hard on America’s Hispanic community.

By TYLER VOIGT | In an end to the will-they-won’t-they drama of the past several years, lawmakers in North Carolina yesterday announced they’d reached a deal to expand Medicaid in the Old North State. For the past decade, North Carolina lawmakers have repeatedly proposed Medicaid expansion. Yet, just as it has been in every previous legislative session, Medicaid expansion is a terrible idea.

BY STEVE FORBES | Thirty-five states and Washington, D.C. have what are called certificate of need laws—CONs. They require government permission to build new healthcare facilities or expand existing ones. New medical services, such as adding a burn unit, require first getting a CON. For decades these laws have done harm to healthcare quality and costs. This episode of What’s Ahead makes the case for abolishing them.

PRNEWSWIRE | Arlington, Va. - Americans for Prosperity today announced the results of a new national public opinion survey showing that voters reject government control of the health care system, want more control of their own health care, and want Republicans to make cutting health care costs a priority. The survey also found that Americans overwhelmingly prefer AFP’s Personal Option plan over a “Public Option” or “Medicare for All,” both single-payer type proposals backed by supporters of government-controlled health care.

ATLANTA – Americans for Prosperity – Georgia (AFP-GA) today praised the Senate Regulated Industries Committee for approving SB 162 to repeal the state’s certificate-of-need (CON) laws. These outdated laws require health care providers to get permission from state bureaucrats to open new hospitals, purchase new equipment, and expand existing services.

BY CHARLES SAUER | Like almost everything in life, the good often comes with the bad. Taylor Swift songs come with an annoying fan base, milkshakes come with calories, and public health emergencies deliver reduced regulations, but they give the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services more power.

BY ISABEL SOTO | President Joe Biden stood before Congress and the American people Tuesday night and told us the state of the union is “strong.” He cited efforts to curb inflation, noted the number of jobs recovered and pointed to the Hispanic unemployment rate, which hit a record low in September. But the president didn’t share the whole story.

BY DR. ROBERT DEAN | As we move into a new Congress – with new leadership, new committee chairs, and fresh faces – are we going to see more of the same out of Congress or will the institution finally perform its duties and fix the problems that we are all facing?

Texas has one of the highest uninsured rates in the country and is 41st of 50 states in terms of the number of physicians per capita. As a percentage of income, insurance premiums are the highest in the country. Residents also carry heavy medical debt. But AFP offers another choice: The Personal Option, which would lower costs, improve access, and address the state’s clinician shortage.

BY DANIEL GARZA | Sixty million Latinos, like all Americans, are struggling with the effects of out-of-control federal spending and regulation that have sparked runaway inflation and government-created obstacles to economic growth that are blocking our path to the American Dream. As the new year turns and a new Congress begins legislating, lawmakers’ focus should be on removing barriers to opportunity, fostering innovation, and enabling every American to improve their lives and communities.