Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price holds broad authority over administration of the Affordable Care Act, including the power to give additional flexibility to states and insurers under the law. Section 1332 of the ACA allows HHS to offer “state innovation waivers” for that allow states to waive some (but not all) of Obamacare’s insurance regulations in return for a block grant of ACA funding. States that want to keep the ACA status quo could do so, while Republican-led states could go in a different direction.
An approach that started with 1332 waivers and layered on additional legislative reforms would allow both the more conservative and moderate members of the GOP to declare victors, because the states themselves would be put back in charge of their own health insurance markets.
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