President-elect Donald Trump and a cohort of Republicans on Capitol Hill have promised the Affordable Care Act will be repealed and replaced — within his first 100 days, no less.
But a new study released by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has revealed that disruption from a partial repeal would upend health insurance markets, causing 18 million people to lose their health insurance until Congress found a plan that fully replaced the ACA, also known as Obamacare.
With costs associated with the law on the rise and insurers pulling out of the national exchange, the Republicans are tasked with working swiftly to cover more areas with more insurers without anyone being dropped by their insurer.
A GOP ‘insurance for everbody’
Last week Trump announced that his own version of the plan — which would be generated under the leadership of HHS secretary pick Tom Price, if he is confirmed — would cover everyone.
That sounds a lot like single-payer like they have in Canada, a system even more leftwing what is currently the current law under Obama.
“There was a philosophy in some circles that if you can’t pay for it, you don’t get it. That’s not going to happen with us,” the president-elect told reporters. Republicans walked back on the comment, saying he meant to say is that everyone ought to have access.
More market competition might not mean end of ACA
While any GOP plan is sure to open up markets across state lines and increase competition amongst providers — theoretically lowering the costs associated with insurance — some Republican lawmakers are proposing that states should themselves decide whether or not they keep Obamacare.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a former doctor and key proponent of the idea, put it this way: “You can go to the reddest state and say we have the option to root and branch it, and you can go to the bluest state and say we have the option to keep what we like,” but under the new plan, “Republicans say, ‘You have the option to keep your plan,’ and we mean it.”
That wouldn’t necessarily prevent a new law from taking place that allows private insurers to buy and sell across state lines.
What do the American people think?
Not everyone is happy with the idea of Obamacare, but the reality of 20 million more insured Americans has been setting in with some over the course of our most recent debate.
Not since 2009 has the law enjoyed the popularity it does today — although most understand it is imperfect at best, and at least 4 in 10 say it needs overhauling to work better for everyone.
At the heart of the issue is affordability. The Kaiser Family Foundation recently reported premiums are set to rise again in 24 percent of states. With healthy people leaving the system entirely, the burden on families rises considerably — and that’s what the GOP is trying to prevent.
A full 60 percent of Americans think that the government has a moral obligation should ensure healthcare for all its citizens.