Republican Health Proposal Would Undermine Coverage for Pre-existing Conditions
Source: NY Times
Throughout the debate to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, President Trump and Republican congressional leaders have insisted they would retain a crucial, popular part of the health law: the promise that people can buy insurance even if theyve had illnesses in the past.
Their efforts foundered last month, when a House health bill had to be pulled from the floor after it failed to attract enough support. Late Monday night, word emerged that the White House and the group of conservative lawmakers known as the Freedom Caucus had discussed a proposal to revive the bill. But the proposed changes would effectively cast the Affordable Care Acts pre-existing conditions provision aside.
The terms, described by Representative Mark Meadows, Republican of North Carolina and the head of the Freedom Caucus, are something like this: States would have the option to jettison two major parts of the Affordable Care Acts insurance regulations. They could decide to opt out of provisions that require insurers to cover a standard, minimum package of benefits, known as the essential health benefits. And they could decide to do away with a rule that requires insurance companies to charge the same price to everyone who is the same age, a provision called community rating.
The proposal is not final, but Mr. Meadows told reporters after the meeting that his members would be interested in such a bill. To pass the House, any bill would need to find favor not just with the Freedom Caucus, but also with more moderate Republicans. It would also need to attract the support of nearly every Republican in the Senate to become law.
The ability to opt out of the benefit requirements could substantially reduce the value of insurance on the market. A patient with cancer might, for example, still be allowed to buy a plan, but it wouldnt do her much good if that plan was not required to cover chemotherapy drugs.
The second opt-out would make the insurance options for those with pre-existing conditions even more meaningless.
Technically, the deal would still prevent insurers from denying coverage to people with a history of illness. But without community rating, health plans would be free to charge those patients as much as they wanted. If both of the Obamacare provisions went away, the hypothetical cancer patient might be able to buy only a plan, without chemotherapy coverage, that costs many times more than a similar plan costs a healthy customer. Only cancer patients with extraordinary financial resources and little interest in the fine print would sign up.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/04/upshot/freedom-caucus-health-care-pre-existing-conditions.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
Eugene
(61,899 posts)Make your peace with the hardliners in your caucus and
then ram the extremist proposal down the country's throat.
Despite The Con's promises, many many people will get screwed.
Hands up. Who didn't see this coming?
Guilded Lilly
(5,591 posts)with the riches and resources that we have, but because of Republican disrespect for humanity, incessant greed and soullessness it is the main war of forever.
Each and every one of these vile beings will die, guaranteed. Their loved ones will die, guaranteed. But until the Rest of us fight continuously against their vile agenda and demand that they receive the exact same treatment they are obsessed with giving us, they will remain foul, stinking examples of the worst America has to offer.
They all suffer from the worst pre-existing condition...hatred for their fellow mankind.
Bradical79
(4,490 posts)I lost some money, but figured I'd get as many issues taken care of as I could in case Republicans destroy what little we have.
Tracer
(2,769 posts)On a TV interview, I heard him say that the way to bring down the cost of insurance was to set deductibles between $25,000 and $50,000.
That'll do it alright!
Bengus81
(6,931 posts)$250-500??? That would be my guess.
Bengus81
(6,931 posts)Every buck these THUGS in the Republican party save the Insurance Industrial Complex translates to CASH in their pockets next time they run for office. Of course a health care policy is of no concern to them,they GOT THEIRS,the rest can fend for themselves.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,010 posts)LiberalLovinLug
(14,174 posts)even though it was their own doing that will cause all the pain. They'll say "See?...now you understand why Obamacare is such a disaster!" And their flock will eat it up.