Revised ACA Repeal-and-Replace Bill Likely to Increase Uninsured Rate and Health Insurance Costs for Many
<p>News outlets are reporting that House Republicans are close to agreeing on an amended version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), their bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).</p><p>In a new post on <em>To the Point</em>, The Commonwealth Fund’s David Blumenthal, M.D., and Sara Collins say that, based on the summaries circulated by the media, the revised AHCA will significantly increase the numbers of uninsured Americans while raising insurance costs for many of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens. At the same time, the AHCA’s restructuring of the Medicaid program is likely to hurt state economies and enrollees.</p>
<p>Blumenthal and Collins explain that the amendment gives states the option to weaken the ACA’s consumer protections. For example, states would be able to drop the law’s essential health benefits requirement for insurance plans sold in the individual and small-group markets, and they would be allowed to waive the ban on charging higher premiums to people with health problems, as long as states set up high-risk pools for those who could no longer afford coverage.</p>