GOP eyes another shot at ObamaCare repeal after McCain’s death

The following article by Alexander Bolton was posted on the Hill website August 29, 2018:

Senate Republicans say they would like Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to appoint a successor to the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who, unlike McCain, would support GOP legislation to repeal ObamaCare.

Republican lawmakers say they won’t have time to hold another vote to repeal the law in 2018 but vow to try again next year if they manage to keep their Senate and House majorities.

“If we re-engage in that discussion in some point in the future, it would be nice to have members who enable us to pass it,” Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Thune (S.D.) said when asked about the possibility of ObamaCare repeal legislation coming up for a future vote.

View the complete article here.

🚨🚨 Republicans Eye Another ACA Repeal Vote 🚨🚨

Despite the fact that a majority of Americans oppose Trump and Republicans’ health care sabotage, Republicans are eyeing yet another Affordable Care Act repeal vote if the midterm elections go their way.

Republicans are eyeing another vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act if the midterms go their way.

Axios: “Republicans eye another ACA repeal vote if midterms go their way”

Axios: “Many Republicans assume their party will take another stab at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act if the midterm elections go their way, even though GOP candidates aren’t making a big deal about it on the campaign trail.”

A majority of voters oppose Trump and Republicans’ sabotage. It’s clear why voters trust Democrats more on health care.

  • Voters trust Democrats over Republicans and President Trump on health care by 13 points.
  • By an overwhelming 25 points, voters say they want to keep and improve on the ACA, not repeal it.
  • A majority of voters support a generic Democratic candidate who supports the ACA and wants to improve it over a generic Republican candidate who wants to repeal it.
  • Only 19 percent of voters support the Trump’s decision to join a lawsuit seeking to strike down the ACA’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Democrats Fight Back Against Trump’s Junk Insurance Plans

Democrats are fighting back against Trump’s health care sabotage. Yesterday, Senate Democrats announced a plan to force a vote to overturn Trump’s junk insurance plan rule. Trump’s junk plans wouldn’t be required to insure people with pre-existing conditions or cover benefits like preventive care. As a result, people who enroll in these junk plans could find themselves locked out of care just when they need it the most.

Trump’s junk insurance plans could drive up premiums for ACA-compliant plans and make care less accessible to people who need it.

New York Times: “The Trump administration issued a final rule on Wednesday that clears the way for the sale of many more health insurance policies that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act and do not have to cover prescription drugs, maternity care or people with pre-existing medical conditions. …The administration acknowledged that making short-term insurance more available, for longer periods of time, could raise premiums for individual health insurance coverage in the Affordable Care Act marketplace.” Continue reading “Democrats Fight Back Against Trump’s Junk Insurance Plans”

One Year Later, Trump And Republicans Continue To Attack The ACA

One year ago, of Trump and Republicans’ health care repeal failed in the Senate. Since, Trump and Republicans have continued to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, making premiums increase across the country. It’s clear why Americans overwhelmingly trust Democrats over Republicans on health care.

Despite the fact that the vast majority of Americans want to keep and improve on the ACA, not repeal it, Trump has continued to sabotage the law.

  • The Trump administration urged a federal court to deem pre-existing condition protections under the ACA unconstitutional.
  • The Trump administration slashed funding for programs that help Americans sign up for health insurance, and promoted plans that do not comply with health care protection standards under the ACA.
  • Trump tried to suspend billions of dollars in risk-adjustment payments, which would have created more uncertainty and further driven up premiums.

Continue reading “One Year Later, Trump And Republicans Continue To Attack The ACA”

Democrats Push Senate to Take Legal Action Backing Pre-existing Condition Protections

The following article by Niels Lesniewski was posted on the Roll Call website July 19, 2018:

McCaskill and Manchin among leaders of the effort

Sen. Manchin, D-W.Va., shakes hands with Atty General Morrisey, who is also running for U.S. Senate. The two are on opposite sides of a debate over pre-existing conditions that could become a part of their campaigns. Credit: Sarah Silbiger, CQ Roll Call file photo

Updated 3:15 p.m. | In a possible preview of Senate Democrats’ midterm political messaging, Democratic senators want the chamber to go to court to defend health insurance protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Two of the Democrats leading the effort face Republican challengers in 2018 who have signed on to the legal effort that could undermine the regulations from the 2010 health care law: state attorneys general in Missouri, Josh Hawley, and West Virginia, Patrick Morrisey.

“We’re asking all of our colleagues, and our friends on the Republican side of the aisle to join with us … to stand up against this horrible, horrible position that the attorneys general offices in my state and Claire’s state, but also the Department of Justice,” West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III said Thursday.

View the complete article here.

Estimated Increases in 2019 Premiums by Congressional District Due to ACA Sabotage

The following article by Emily Gee and Aditya Krishnaswamy was posted on the Center for American Progress website July 24, 2018:

A couple explores different insurance plans available under the Affordable Care Act on November 1, 2017, in Miami.

This column contains a correction.

Over the past two years, the Trump administration has worked tirelessly to sabotage the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The U.S. Congress’ repeal of the individual mandate penalty and the Trump administration’s actions to expand the availability of skimpy short-term plans are raising premiums for middle-class families. In its latest attack on the individual market for health insurance, the Trump administration also slashed funding for enrollment assistance by 72 percent and halted payments for risk adjustment, the federal program that discourages plans from avoiding sicker enrollees.

Last year, President Donald Trump’s decision to end cost-sharing assistance payments resulted in staggering increases in 2018 marketplace premiums, and these more recent attempts to destabilize the individual market will result in even higher rates for 2019. Although tax credits rise with premiums and therefore insulate lower-income individuals from higher costs, many middle-income families who buy insurance on their own will see 2019 premiums thousands of dollars higher than they would be if the Trump administration allowed the ACA to work as intended. Based on rate information to date, the Center for American Progress estimates that an unsubsidized 40-year-old will pay an extra $970 in marketplace premiums on average in 2019 because of the end of the mandate and the expansion of short-term plans. Continue reading “Estimated Increases in 2019 Premiums by Congressional District Due to ACA Sabotage”

Administration slashes grants to help Americans get Affordable Care Act coverage

The following article by Amy Goldstein was posted on the Washington Post website July 10, 2018:

President Trump’s health-care actions could have ripple effects throughout the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces. (Video: Jenny Starrs/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

The Trump administration is eliminating most of the funding for grass-roots groups that help Americans get Affordable Care Act insurance and will for the first time urge the groups to promote health plans that bypass the law’s consumer protections and required benefits.

The reduction — the second round of cuts that began last summer — will shrink the federal money devoted to the groups, known as navigators, from $36.8 million to $10 million for the enrollment period that starts in November.

Last August, federal health officials announced that they werereducing the navigators’ aid by 41 percent, from $62.5 million, and slashing by 90 percent a related budget for advertising and other outreach activities to foster ACA enrollment.

View the complete article on the Washington Post website here.

Democrats Fight Back Against Trump’s Health Care Sabotage

Americans trust Democrats over Republicans to address rising health care costs by a 14-point margin. It’s clear why: Half of Americans are already struggling to afford health care this year. Instead of working to reduce costs, Trump and Republican are enacting policies that are causing health care premiums to skyrocket, but Democrats are fighting back.

Democrats are fighting back against Trump’s efforts to take away protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

The Hill: “Dems pressure GOP to take legal action supporting pre-existing conditions”

Continue reading “Democrats Fight Back Against Trump’s Health Care Sabotage”

Trump administration takes another major swipe at the Affordable Care Act

The following article by Amy Goldstein was posted on the Washington Post website July 7, 2018:

Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, listens during a meeting on healthcare reform. Credit: Jabin Botsford, The Washington Post)</em.

The Trump administration took another major swipe at the Affordable Care Act, halting billions of dollars in annual payments required under the law to even out the cost to insurers whose customers need expensive medical services.

In a rare Saturday afternoon announcement, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it will stop collecting and paying out money under the ACA’s “risk adjustment” program, drawing swift protest from the health insurance industry.

Risk adjustment is one of three methods built into the 2010 health-care law to help insulate insurance companies from the ACA requirement that they accept all customers for the first time — healthy and sick — without charging more to those who need substantial care.

View the complete post on the Washington Post website here.

Trump Administration Guts Funding to ACA’s Navigator Program

The Trump administration’s massive cuts to the ACA’s Navigator Program, which helps people sign up for insurance, will make it harder for people across the country to find affordable health care coverage. Last week, Navigator groups learned their funding would be cut by more than 70 percent, and states across the country are already bracing for impact.

In North Carolina, navigators who helped nearly 520,000 residents sign up for health insurance this year will be harder to find after Trump’s funding cuts.

The News & Observer: Trump agency slashes funds to NC groups that help people get health insurance under ACA

“They are the public face of the Affordable Care Act in North Carolina for legions of residents stumped by the complexities of health insurance. But next year, ACA navigators — the trained instructors who explain health benefits and help people enroll — will be harder to find as a result of federal funding cuts … In North Carolina, which has consistently had some of the nation’s highest enrollments, the navigator budget will be cut by 85 percent — from $3.4 million to $500,000.”

Continue reading “Trump Administration Guts Funding to ACA’s Navigator Program”