Democrats think they can win the looming government shutdown debate by focusing on healthcare — one of the few issues where polling consistently shows they have an advantage. But as economist and Market Institute president Charles Sauer argues in his Washington Examiner column, Republicans shouldn’t retreat from the issue — they should reclaim it.
“Republicans, who have been on the defensive regarding healthcare for more than a decade, need to go on offense again,” writes Sauer. “Here are three ways the White House can seize back the narrative.”
Give Patients More Control
Sauer notes that America’s prescription drug system is riddled with inefficiency and opacity—thanks to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) who sit between patients, insurers, and pharmacies. PBMs’ lack of transparency and conflicts of interest, he explains, have contributed to higher prices and less choice.
“While PBMs need reform, government alone isn’t the answer,” Sauer writes. “Fortunately, serious-minded private sector efforts are afoot to allow patients to shop around.”
He highlights entrepreneur Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs as an example of how innovation can deliver transparent pricing and real consumer choice—without new bureaucracy.
Reduce Healthcare Prices
The cost of care remains the top frustration for patients, with only 19% satisfied with healthcare prices according to Gallup. Sauer points to the Direct Primary Care (DPC) model—championed by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Trump Administration—as a market-driven solution that strengthens doctor-patient relationships while reducing costs.
“For a cost averaging between $50 and $150 per month, patients bypass the health insurance system and visit participating doctors,” Sauer writes. “The model increases access and quality, lowers costs, and solidifies the relationship between doctors and patients.”
Prioritize Alzheimer’s Disease
Finally, Sauer calls for a renewed focus on Alzheimer’s, which affects more than seven million Americans. He argues that the FDA and Medicare should ensure timely access to promising new treatments and diagnostics, noting the overwhelming bipartisan support for Medicare coverage of Alzheimer’s blood tests.
“With President Donald Trump making changes at a pace like no president before him,” Sauer writes, “giving patients access to treatments that have already been approved by the FDA should be a no-brainer.”
He concludes that President Trump has the chance to finish the fight Ronald Reagan began when he revealed his own Alzheimer’s diagnosis, helping millions of families while reshaping the GOP’s reputation on healthcare.
“Not only would millions of lives be touched for the better,” Sauer concludes, “but the GOP could seize back the mantle of healthcare champions for the long term.”
Read more in the Washington Examiner by clicking here.
