“FIXING” OBAMACARE with a National Health Charter?

Both Mr. Obama and Republicans are blowing smoke in claiming that the damage done to the individual market by the forced cancellation of “substandard” plans (i.e., those that don’t meet the purposes of ObamaCare) can somehow be reversed at this point. It can’t be.

What can be done is Congress creating a new option in the form of a national health insurance charter under which insurers could design new low-cost policies free of mandated benefits imposed by ObamaCare and the 50 states that many of those losing their individual policies today surely would find attractive.

What’s the first thing the new nationally chartered insurers would do? Rush out cheap, high-deductible policies, allaying some of the resentment that the ObamaCare mandate provokes among the young, healthy and footloose affluent.

These folks could buy the minimalist coverage that (for various reasons) makes sense for them. They wouldn’t be forced to buy excessive coverage they don’t need to subsidize the old and sick.

If this idea sounds familiar, it was proposed right here three years ago, after the 2010 elections in which Democrats lost the House due to public disquiet over ObamaCare.

Because such a move could be sold as expanding the options under ObamaCare and lessening the burden of an unpopular mandate, it always had potential to draw Democratic support. That’s doubly true now that Democrats are saddled with President Obama’s promise that anybody who liked their existing insurance can keep it. Mr. Obama’s promise is not literally keepable but the national charter would be the next best thing, letting millions find policies that are a good deal for them in their particular circumstances.

And, yes, this would also blow up the disingenuous financial engine of ObamaCare. This is a feature not a bug.

Whatever the GOP does, it should probably be sold as “fixing” ObamaCare, even though the base would rather call it a repeal. The fix above, though, is basically a repeal. I’d add HSAs.