What changes do you think will be made to Obamacare?
Based on news reports, Paul Ryan, who is the Speaker of the House and outspoken opponent of the ACA,wants to change the program. The opposition is mostly political in that the GOP has always detested Obama, the purported architect of the program (he wasn't). This implies that the result will be different while somehow being cheaper, better and voluntary. That the ACA program was originally conceived by a conservative think tank makes this rather difficult.One proposal to provide health savings accounts, either contributory or funded by government vouchers, is a clumsy and wasteful way around the existing system of subsidized premiums to be applied against plans that have specific features and benefit levels, both mandated by law and provided by the plans. It invites the offering of plans that are essentially worthless. Similar plans were offered prior to the ACA and were removed from sale. A GOP proposal to allow the sale across state lines also invites consumer abuse because state machinery will have little or no way to regulate these offerings.The individual mandate is also under review. If eliminated, citizens will not be required to purchase coverage. If that is enacted, only sick people will sign up. The current system, like all insurance, requires a cash flow from non-claimants in order to fund others’ more immediate claims. Removing this requirement will make the program unsustainable and kill it for all.All of that said, most reports seem to suggest that any plan changes will not significantly change current recipients’ coverage or, at least, not within 3 years. Clearly, the GOP has no real plan at this time. That may mean tweaks, a new name and a program very much like what exists right now.
Should Trump change the name from Obamacare to Trumpcare?
I think we still have Obama Care as the alternative was Trump Doesn’t Care.The ultra conservatives bolted when they did not get a repeal without replacement.The moderates bolted when they realized Obamacare was working:The Republican Party Bicameral Majority and two and a half branches of government majority just evaporated before our eyes. We now have a 4 party no majority system: the ultra right, Republicans, Moderate Republicans, and Democrats. Perhaps we can form a coalition government like most other more than two party parliamentary systems.For 7 year the Republicans have been planning this moment, the moment they left us with ACA - the Affordable Care Act, great planning. Way to put effort time planning and sweat into planning legislation, remember how long it took to draft Obama care and build a coalition to pass it. Designing a health care plan is not easy.Oh, and the people covered by Obama Care, the expansion of Medicare under Obama Care or benefiting from insurance rules mandated by Obama Care called a few of their representatives. Further the people objecting to giving the rich a tax break and screwing everyone else also called.So we now have the ACA coverage!Oh, yes we also call that Obama Care. I think we still have Obama Care as the alternative was Trump Doesn’t Care.
Obamacare and copays?
For now you will most likely keep the plan you have. For about 80% of people, Obamacare will change nothing. When it comes time to pick a new plan, you will have choices: lower monthly costs and higher co-pays or vice-versa. When it comes time to pick a new plan, you will still get it through your husband's job, and you will have more choices.
Is Obamacare good or bad?
Overall the Affordable Care Act is good. Without a public option, however, it is flawed legislation. The public option didn't survive the battle in Congress and that has done a disservice to the American public. Businesses and individuals should have the option of purchasing insurance from the government, instead of only from insurance companies. That would provide a form of cost control or at least cost comparison. It would also help government revenues. Our choices have been limited by Republican opposition (and Lieberman) and that is not a good thing. We should not let this possible choice go unaddressed in the future.
Will Obamacare end 2016?
Almost certainly not. For one thing, we don't know how the 2016 elections will go. Democrats may win the Presidency and/or control of one, or both, houses of Congress. If they do then they will be able to block substantial action on Obamacare. Even if they don't control either the White House or Congress they will likely still hold enough seats in the Senate to block legislation. But the other problem is that by 2016, Americans will have had Obamacare for several years. The cataclysmic problems that Republicans predicted are unlikely to materialize and the American people will have gotten used to the benefits which they get through Obamacare. So any Republican attempts to do away with it would have to find a way of preserving a substantial portion of the benefits which Americans enjoy under the program, or of replacing them with something comparable or better.
Will the Republican/Trump destructive chaos on Obamacare sink the new administration?
Probably not.I think a lot of people underestimate the Republicans (or rather, overestimate their policy ambitions). They understand that making huge changes is going to be unpopular. Their objective isn’t to repeal Obamacare and implement a completely different solution, their objective is to reduce the scale of Obamacare and make it seem like they made a huge change to it.The changes they want are not things like “repeal the individual mandate” or “eliminate subsidies” - they are “reduce the tax penalty and cut subsidies in half.”They will sell these as a huge change - this is in fact why the repeal is being done first. Republicans can trumpet their ‘lifting of the great scourge’ and then re-implement exactly the same plan, but far less generous to the poor. That’s their ultimate goal, really: disenfranchise as many people as possible while maintain good benefits to a substantial part of society. If 40M lose health benefits, that’s fine as long as 100M keep them.It’s classic predatory negotiating: you offer far less than your counterparty will accept, and in doing so put pressure on them to lower their ask.