Why the Sick Will Face Health Coverage Problems With GOP’s Obamacare Replacement

The measure, created to repeal and replace parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), includes last-minute revisions made after the first version failed to garner votes in March. The likelihood is that the overall health of our citizens will get worse, especially among those who can not afford the full coverage they have today, including a large proportion of Trump voters.

In all, 20 Republicans voted against the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and it squeaked through the House by a vote of 217-213.

“We need assurances that people with pre-existing conditions will be protected”.

I understand that Democrats not only didn’t like the way this bill was passed – without any estimates on what it might cost or how many people might lose coverage as a result – but also believed the policies contained in it would leave the country and its people considerably worse off.

On the party’s right flank, Cruz and Rand Paul of Kentucky will try to pull any measure closer to a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act while adding conservative planks. Together they crafted a more moderate plan that kept the Affordable Care Act’s taxes in place instead of repealing them. “At the same time, the administration has begun a series of important regulatory reforms and actions to stabilize the health care market”. “I have tremendous satisfaction with owning a business, but I know that if I can’t get coverage, I would be forced to get a different job. I can’t not have coverage for my multiple sclerosis”.

There is no firm tally of federal funds MA would lose if Obamacare goes away, but Gov. Charlie Baker says it would be at least $1 billion a year to start. However, the higher charges would only apply to individuals with pre-existing conditions who have a gap in coverage.

Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), an early supporter of President Donald Trump, said neither he nor many Republican lawmakers who voted for the bill actually read the text.

“This gets complicated fast”, Avalere President Dan Mendelson said. Others have expressed concern because it rolls back the expansion of Medicaid, the public insurance program for the poor and disabled.

“As I said with Obamacare, anything that affects so many people and such a big part of the economy should have a solution that can attract bipartisanship”, he said. The bill bans federal money from being used at reproductive health facilities that also provide abortions.

Republicans are claiming a triumph by pushing their legislative centerpiece scuttling much of President Barack Obama’s health care law through the House. Or they may face annual or lifetime caps on reimbursement or be forced into high-deductible plans where they can not afford to pay the deductibles.

Plus, high-risk pools are historically inadequate. Currently, Medicaid pays all the bills, no matter how high they get. Young people who don’t buy insurance wouldn’t face an immediate penalty, and those who do purchase it could likely buy cheaper “catastrophic” plans that weren’t allowed under Obamacare.

Adrienne Standley, the operations director at a start-up apparel business in Philadelphia, is not waiting to find out.

“Make no mistake, this vote is guaranteed to result in more uninsured in Cook County requiring hospitals to make hard decisions such as cutting service, laying off staff or worse, closing their doors”, she said. “I’m pretty scared to lose coverage”.