Yesterday, The House has voted to dismantle the pillars of the Affordable Care Act and make sweeping changes to the nation’s health care system.
The bill now heads to the Senate where it faces daunting challenges because of the same ideological splits between conservative and moderate Republicans that nearly killed it in the House.
The changes in the bill include eliminating ACA taxes on the wealthy, insurers and others, and get rid of the individual mandate imposed by the ACA. The legislation would also allow insurers to charge higher premiums to those in their 50s and early 60s, compared to younger consumers.
The GOP plan would provide Americans with refundable tax credits based mainly on age to purchase health insurance.
It would also significantly curtail federal support for Medicaid and allow states to require able-bodied adults to work. After 2020, states that expanded Medicaid would no longer receive enhanced federal funding to cover low-income adults, and those that hadn’t expanded would be immediately barred from doing so.
And it would allow states to relax some key Obamacare protections of those with pre-existing conditions, which are among the health reform law’s most popular provisions. States could apply for waivers to allow insurers to offer skimpier policies that don’t cover the 10 essential health benefits mandated by Obamacare. Also, insurers would be able to charge higher premiums to those with medical issues if they let their coverage lapse. States requesting waivers would have to set up programs — such as high-risk pools — to protect insurers from high-cost patients.
Of course, after the passage of this bill, many opponents, associations and hospitals voiced their displeasure on social media, criticizing the plan and saying that it is not a better fit than what was already in place.
However, this debate on health care has gone on far longer than President Trump has been in office.
Some countries have universal health care plans that are working well for them. Others preach more privatization and hands off government control.
Our question is, whose control should Health Care fall under?
