US House ACA reform may turn up heat on NC Medicaid expansion

That was the sober message delivered by Republican congressional leaders and President Trump during three days of discussion over what will replace the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, when and if it is repealed.

However, the Associated Press reported that he said addressing Medicaid expansion should be a “negotiated agreement” and that Americans with pre-existing conditions and serious health issues should obtain coverage in a high-risk pool subsidized by the government.

Republican lawmakers debuted their proposal on Monday, potentially ending the ACA’s current mandate to buy insurance, while reorganizing Medicaid funding. But when push comes to vote, it will come down to the Republicans to decide whether to go forward with the new repeal-and-replace bill. Under the ACA, individuals who opted out of health insurance coverage would have to pay a tax to the IRS.

Laura Harker of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute said the GOP plan “would leave lower-income Georgians with less assistance to afford insurance and could cause them to drop coverage”. And it converts Medicaid funding from an open-ended commitment to a “per capita” system, which observers say will mean less support for the program. Dr. Madara also noted that the proposed changes in tax credits and subsidies to help patients purchase private health insurance coverage are expected to result in fewer Americans with insurance coverage.

The groups mentioned that some accessibility protections in the ACA should remain, including prohibitions on preexisting condition exclusions, annual and lifetime limits, insurance policy rescissions gender pricing and excessive premiums for older adults. The ratio under the ACA, by comparison, is 3:1.

“We believe Medicaid needs to be reformed, but reform should not come at the cost of disruption in access to health care for our country’s most vulnerable and sickest individuals”, they said in the letter. “The magnitude of their tax credits shrinks, even as a separate provision in the bill allows insurers to charge older people substantially higher prices than are allowed under the Affordable Care Act”.

The AMA announced its opposition in a letter Wednesday morning, hours before two House committees were set to mark up repeal legislation.

Additionally, “The AAFP continues to be deeply concerned with ongoing efforts, at all levels of government, that seek to identify, isolate and hinder access to legal, safe and effective health care services to women”. Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham released a statement on Tuesday saying, “Many Americans seeking health insurance on the individual market will notice no significant difference between the Affordable Care Act (i.e., Obamacare) and the American Health Care Act”.

The bill will likely see several changes in the weeks and months ahead.

Plans call for the House to pass a measure on March 20, then send it to the Senate.

Besides Murphy, U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, Allegheny County, and U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, R-Chester County, sit on the Energy and Commerce Committee and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler County, and U.S. Rep.

“I think the main concern with any replacement plan is it would have to cover as many people as the ACA is covering now, and it would have to be affordable”, she said.

Founded in 1930, the Texas Hospital Association is the leadership organization and principal advocate for the state’s hospitals and health care systems.