July 15, 2017

The new GOP health bill

Ballotpedia - The Senate released a revised version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act. The bill included the following changes:
  • Any individual may purchase a catastrophic health plan (under the ACA, this was restricted to individuals under 30 or those who meet a hardship exemption).
  • Tax credits could be used to purchase catastrophic plans.
  • An additional $70 billion between 2019 and 2026 would be provided to states for individual market stabilization.
  • The ACA's 0.9 percent payroll tax for Medicare would be retained.
  • The ACA's 3.8 percent tax on investment income would be retained.
  • Withdrawals from health savings accounts could be used to pay health insurance premiums.
  • A total of $45 billion would be provided to address the opioid epidemic.
  • Individual health plans in effect after January 1, 2019, would be required to enforce a six-month waiting period on coverage for individuals who could not prove that they'd had continuous health insurance for the previous 12 months.
  • Health insurers could offer plans off the exchanges that do not comply with ACA standards if they also offer one gold-level and one silver-level ACA compliant plan on the exchanges.
  • A fund would be established that reimburses health insurers for the cost of covering high-risk individuals.
According to The New York Times, Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) remained opposed to moving the bill to the floor for debate. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) said it was unclear to him if the bill was an improvement, and Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) expressed concern over the Medicaid provisions, which were largely unchanged in the revised bill. An analysis of the bill from the Congressional Budget Office is expected early next week.

No comments: