Healthcare is broken, but what do we do about it?
By Easton Martin | July 30, 2026
Healthcare is broken, but turning the entire system over to the government is not the answer. Standardizing medicine under a massive federal bureaucracy will only expand wait times, stifle innovation, and drive overall quality down. Fixing American healthcare requires introducing real market forces, restoring consumer choice, and stripping away the heavy regulatory layers that inflate costs in the first place.
At its core, the current system fails in large part because government intervention and third-party billing have completely erased price transparency. When insurance companies and federal programs manage every transaction, patients never see the actual cost of their care, and providers have zero incentive to compete on price.
Restoring sanity to medical costs starts with mandatory price transparency. Hospitals, clinics, and pharmaceutical companies must publish upfront, clear cash prices for procedures and medications. When patients can actually shop for routine scans, lab work, and standard procedures, providers will be forced to compete for business, driving prices down the same way competition works in every other sector of the economy.
At the same time, we need to dramatically expand Health Savings Accounts. Raising contribution limits and expanding what those tax-advantaged dollars can cover, including direct primary care memberships, puts purchasing power back in the hands of individuals. Insurance should function as true insurance, protecting against catastrophic illness and major injury, while routine care is handled directly between the patient and the doctor.
To lower insurance premiums, we must remove artificial regulatory barriers. Allowing individuals to purchase health plans across state lines will instantly create a national marketplace with fierce competition among carriers. Small businesses and independent workers should also be permitted to pool together through association plans to leverage the same buying power as major corporations.
Placing reasonable caps on non-economic damages in malpractice lawsuits will curb wasteful diagnostic testing driven solely by legal fears. Easing restrictive state licensing rules and allowing qualified nurse practitioners and physician assistants to practice to the full extent of their training will expand patient access, especially in underserved areas.
Perhaps there is no one “fix it all” solution for our healthcare system. Left or right, we can all agree that there is something fundamentally wrong with our system. We must do what we can to advocate for common sense and compassionate reform. Market-based solutions do not mean abandoning those in need. Targeted tax credits and state-level high-risk pools can effectively protect vulnerable populations with pre-existing conditions without forcing every American into a rigid, government-run medical network.
