The following article by Aaron Rupar was posted on the ThinkProgress website July 19, 2017:
After Senate Republican defections killed off the latest Trumpcare bill on Monday night, President Trump tweeted his support for changing course and immediately repealing Obamacare before a bipartisan replacement plan is drawn up at some point down the road. Continue reading “Trump has changed his health care stance 3 times in past 36 hours. Here are the receipts.”
The following article by Steven Pressman was posted on the Conversation website July 18, 2017:
The congressional effort to overhaul the health care system appears to be in shambles. But the current health care system lives on. And decisions the Trump administration makes about how to manage it could have big effects on who has coverage next year, and what it costs them.
The Department of Health and Human Services is in charge of administering Obamacare, and so far the department’s staff has given many public indications that it does not enjoy such duties.
The Department of Health and Human Services is in charge of administering Obamacare, and so far the department’s staff has given many public indications that it does not enjoy such duties. Continue reading “Obamacare’s Future Now Depends on an Unhappy White House”
The following article by Kyle Stewart was posted on the Roll Call website July 18, 2017:
Following the collapse of the Senate’s health care overhaul bill, a group of governors are suggesting a new way forward: bipartisanship. And the group wants a spot at the decision table.
Eleven governors from across the nation issued a statement Tuesday morning calling on the Senate to stop the effort to repeal the 2010 health care law without a replacement.
“This could leave millions of Americans without coverage,” the statement said. “The best next step is for both parties to come together and do what we can all agree on: fix our unstable insurance markets.” Continue reading “Governors Call for Bipartisan Fix to Health Care”
The following article was posted on the TrumpAccountable.org website July 18, 2017:
With Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Mike Lee (R-UT) releasing separate statements Monday night confirming they will not support the Senate version of Obamacare repeal and replace, the legislation was dealt a near fatal blow. The failure to rally enough senators around the Senate version – especially with deep cuts to Medicaid that will hurt millions of constituents – resulted in a quick tweet by President Trump calling for simple repeal of Obamacare with a promise to work (possibly with Democrats) to craft new legislation. Continue reading “Failure”
The following article by Margot Sanger-Katz was posted on the New York Times website July 7 2017:
If you can’t repeal and replace Obamacare all at once, what about just repealing it first, and coming up with new ideas later?
That was the preferred political strategy of many in Congress after the election, but it was ultimately rejected by the White House and House Speaker Paul Ryan, who determined that Republicans should repeal and install a new plan simultaneously.
Now, as Republican senators balk at the health bill their leaders have drafted, several politicians have suggested that it’s time to return to the original idea. Such a strategy would come with tremendous political risks for Republicans and practical risks for consumers, many of whom might end up dealing with zombie-like markets. Continue reading “Why Repeal-and-Delay Is a Risky Health Care Strategy”
The following article by Paul Kane was posted on the Washington Post website July 15, 2017:
By most measures, Republicans face a nearly impossible task of finding enough votes to pass their long-promised repeal of the Affordable Care Act through a Senate that seems irreconcilably divided.
A core group of moderates and mainstream conservatives remains resistant to the Republican proposal that slashes Medicaid funding, while a small but critical bloc of conservatives keeps pushing to move the bill further in their direction.
Yet by one measure, Republicans have never been closer to repealing large chunks of what they dismiss as “Obamacare.” Within two short weeks, the GOP will probably either be reveling in its unexpected victory or mired in deep infighting over the party’s failure to live up to a pledge it has made over the past seven years. Continue reading “If — if — the Senate passes a health bill, get ready for lightning round in the House”
The following article by Lenny Bernstein and Paige Winfield Cunningham was posted on the Washington Post site July 15, 2017:
Before the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies could offer any combination of benefits in most states and legally call them a health insurance policy. A huge deductible? Coverage for only one night of hospitalization? Nothing for maternity care, mental health or medication?
If consumers were willing to buy such “bare bones” plans — and some people did, usually at very low prices — those policies were considered health insurance coverage.
“If they sold you a policy that covered [only] a toothbrush, that qualified,” said Karen Pollitz, senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Continue reading “e ‘Bare bones’ insurance policies really only work for people who are healthy”
The following article by Simon Haeder was posted on the Conversation site July 13, 2017:
When Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released his new version of the Republican health care bill July 13, he relied on a favorite Republican device to solve the nation’s health care woes – Health Savings Accounts.
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) were established by the same legislation that created the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit in 2003. HSAsallow individuals to make tax-deductible contributions, withdraw money tax-free to pay for qualified medical expenses and avoid taxes on the money invested in the account. Continue reading “Why health savings accounts are a bust for the poor but a boost for the privileged”
The following article by Haeyoun Park and Margot Sanger-Katz was posted on the New York Times website July 11, 2017:
A family making more than $200,000 a year would gain $5,420 on average by 2026, while a family making less than $10,000 a year would lose $2,550 if the Senate Republican health care bill becomes law, according to a new analysis.
The analysis, from the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, looked at the combined impact of changes proposed under the draft Republican plan, including repealing Obamacare taxes, cutting Medicaid funding and changing the system of government subsidies for people who buy their own insurance.
Continue reading “How the Rich Gain and the Poor Lose Under the Senate Republican Health Care Plan”
