NY Times - Several Republican senators on Monday proposed a partial replacement for the Affordable Care Act that would allow states to continue operating under the law if they choose, a proposal meant to appeal to critics and supporters of former President Barack Obama’s signature health law.
Under the proposal, by Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a medical doctor, and Susan Collins of Maine, a moderate Republican, states could stay with the Affordable Care Act or they could receive a similar amount of federal money, which consumers could use to pay for medical care and health insurance.
“We are moving the locus of repeal to state government,” Mr. Cassidy said. “States should have the right to choose.”
The proposal shares some features with House Republican proposals: It would encourage greater use of health savings accounts and eliminate the requirement for most Americans to have insurance or pay a tax penalty. But its option to keep the Affordable Care Act alive in many states will rankle the most conservative Republicans who have been trying for nearly seven years to blow up the law.
1 comment:
Is it really surprising to see Republicans wanting to preserve the insurance industry windfall that is the ACA?
Really?
And if you happen to live in one of the states that was hostile to the ACA to begin with, states that refused to expand Medicaid, set up exchanges, etc., then what? Those folks are still stuck with the nonchoice of the essentially same two over-charging providers that dominated the markets prior to, and during, implementation of ACA. For many the health care act brought nothing in the way of affordable coverage, and if anything, only served to compound the financial burdens already taxing their strained and tenuous budgets. Continual rate increases, outrageous deductibles, and ridiculous premiums really came to light in the October signup window just prior to the November 8th election. Don't doubt that the sting of all that also affected the election outcome.
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