Dan,
"Well, the Republicans chose to make costs higher when they killed the mandate."
I think there's more to this than money, we're looking at an ideological difference.
Republicans thought a mandate was government overreach.
It's the same with many other differences between liberals and conservatives.
Invasive policies and regulation vs limited government involvement in people's lives.
I would need more numbers to make a serious evaluation. The problem is I doubt detailed enough records exist. I must confess I suspect that is by design.
I've seen before accounting systems built this way. If you don't want close scrutiny, make sure records are intentionally opaque. All the various cost drivers benefit from complexity. Even the government's own data is fragmented.
Again...here we are discussing mandates when we should be discussing all the costs involved in healthcare itself.
It probably would take a dedicated office just to track and enforce pricing, which is something liberals would probably love and, conservatives will resist.
I understand the lack of confidence in Trump, if you look at past behavior of Republicans.
However, ACA is due to expire and it's an old system and needs to be updated.
Someone has to lead and take charge.
Still, I have my doubts a full cost expose will ever happen.
I saw the Great Lakes for the first time two years ago, the only part of the country other than the Pacific NW I hadn't visited or lived in.
I was surprised by the excellent vineyards in NY along the shore. And the actual size of the Lakes. My favorite spot might have been Tunnel Park, MI:
miottawa.org
I was up on the dunes seeing the largest body of fresh water I'd ever seen, but something seemed to be missing from past experiences at the Pacific, Atlantic, and the Gulf.
Took me a few seconds to realize what it was; I couldn't smell any salt in the air.