WASHINGTON _ Avik Roy says the Republican bill to replace the Affordable Care Act would make health insurance unaffordable for the poor. Robert Laszewski calls it a "mind-boggling" approach that could collapse the individual market. Seth Chandler warns it could put care out of reach for older Americans.
And that's just wonks on the right.
The effects of the long-promised measure to roll back Barack Obama's signature 2010 legislation, would fall mainly on the poor, a fact that has set off opposition from both left and the right. The bill would cut taxes to the tune of about $575 billion over a decade, mainly on the wealthy and health insurance companies. It would limit money channeled to low-income people, raise costs for older Americans and wind down the expansion of Medicaid.
"There's no question the goal is to substantially reduce the federal commitment to providing subsidized care for the low-income population," said Len Nichols, a health policy professor at George Mason University. "The very population that voted for Trump, the working class out there who are in the positions of not having good employer-sponsored coverage anymore or ever, they're going to end up worse off."
The Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, provided insurance to about 20 million people, bringing the U.S. uninsured rate to a record low. The law provided subsidies to help low- and middle-income people afford health insurance, and also pushed states to expand their Medicaid programs to more low-income people.
Most proposed changes in the bill, backed by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and scheduled for committee debate Wednesday, largely wouldn't go into effect until the start of 2020. The result could be higher premiums or weaker coverage for many, particularly the elderly and those with lower incomes. At the same time, there would be less incentive for healthy people to buy insurance.
