Top Medicaid Official Comes Out Against GOP Obamacare Repeal Bill

How would it work?

Now let’s go back to the big debate emerging over the health care law, and explore some of the key ideas behind the Republicans’ plans.

The GOP plan would allow insurers to charge older Americans five times as much as younger Americans for an individual policy compared to the current ratio of 3:1, putting coverage out of reach for many older workers.

Currently, 20 million people are covered through Obamacare. Taxes to finance the Affordable Care Act’s expansion, including new payroll taxes on the wealthiest Americans and taxes on the medical device industry, would expire.

However, the American Health Care Act put forth by House Republicans has left the party divided over whether the piece of legislation is an actual repeal of the Affordable Care Act or simply just what Senator Rand Paul called, “Obamacare Lite”.

What’s missing from the news coverage is improvements in the new bill. The credits increase with age and are capped at $14,000 per family.

Democrats warn that those credits are on average less than the subsidies built into the premiums under Obamacare. The bill rightly repeals the requirement that employers provide health insurance to their workers, and, therefore, what insurance they have to provide. It also defunds Planned Parenthood and eliminates abortion coverage.

A Republican proposal to revamp the nation’s health care system would fundamentally alter Medicaid, threatening access to community-based services for people with developmental disabilities, advocates say. Federal funding for expanded Medicaid eligibility would end by 2020. The federal government would say to MI and other states: Here’s a flat amount of money, based on how many people are on your Medicaid rolls right now.

It’s not surprising that some of Obamacare’s most popular provisions aren’t touched. The bill does preserve some elements of Obamacare, such as coverage for people with preexisting conditions and also allows young people to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until they’re 26 years old.

Meanwhile, House Republicans are planning to move quickly with the legislation and already held two committee hearings on Wednesday. If the GOP plan becomes law, those making more than $75,000 would see their tax credits start to phase out, and an enrollee making more than $215,000 would no longer be eligible.

But a conservative backlash has begun.

“Obamacare 2.0” is how House Republican Justin Amash described the new bill, warning it maintains Obamacare’s overall structure and “does not effectively address health care costs”. The penalty would not be prorated, meaning that someone with a three-month gap in coverage would pay the same penalty as someone with a 12-month gap if they signed up for the same insurance plan.

Medicaid will eventually be reduced, but it might expand first.

JOHN YANG: To help break down the impact of these proposed changes, I’m joined by two experts who watch health care closely.

Republicans now must gain enough votes both within the House and the Senate to get their plan to go through.

Despite a boost from the backing of Mr Trump’s administration, the success of the new legislation is not guaranteed as divisions remain and fierce battles on the issue could be seen in Congress.

As Vox.com editor (and former health care reform reporter) Ezra Klein summarized Tuesday, the House GOP bill was also met with harsh disdain from Republican-leaning health care experts.