I'm Pete du Pont with the National Center for Policy Analysis. Since it's looking like a Bush presidency is finally a done deal, let's consider one of his campaign promises — and how it might be made more palatable.
Bush is bent on a federal prescription drug plan. It's not nearly as bad as Al Gore's would have been, but it's still expensive and unnecessary for reasons we've cited here before.
But fine, let's say he's going to do it. Here's my suggestion. Pair it with a bill taking all the limits off medical savings accounts. The trial run for MSAs is scheduled to run out at the end of the year. The fact that it had a congressionally-mandated four-year life span, and the limitations put on sellers, crippled MSAs chances to make it in the market. A clear field will give MSAs a fair chance, and let consumers, and not bureaucrats, decide what they want to do with their health care dollars. Give us the prescription drug bill if you must, but give everybody MSAs now that you can.
Those are my ideas, and at the NCPA we know ideas can change the world. I'm Pete du Pont, next time, Legal Euthanasia.