In case you missed it . . . Today Rand Paul was interviewed on a morning news program. He was asked the following question . . . Do you favor the government providing an avenue for every American to have affordable and accessible health care?

His answer was that he accepted the goal that everybody should be able to get health care and that it should be at a less expensive cost. He went on to say the main problem in our health insurance market is in the individual market. He would like everybody in America to have access to group insurance. Me too!

His efforts are to promote association health plans. All kinds of associations could be purchasers of group insurance combating the problem of adverse selection.

The vast majority in the individual market should be able to perhaps join the Restaurant Association, the Retail Association, the Chamber, N.F.I.B. etc. allowing them to leave the individual market.

50% of Americans have no access to Job based coverage. The creation and expansion of association plans and the expansion of the Special Enrollment Period for small businesses are sensible approaches to expand access to job based plans of group insurance.

Let’s get these tens of millions of Americans access to job based coverage!

Allen Wishner