California Keeping Health Law Anyway ‘Probably Out Of The Realm Of Possibility’
If the federal health law is repealed or dismantled, the $20 billion California receives in assistance to help people buy coverage would dry up, making it nearly impossible for the state to keep its version of the exchanges.
Los Angeles Times:
If The Obamacare Law Is Repealed, Could California Keep It Anyway?
Millions of Californians have gained health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Now the future of that federal law – and medical coverage for those people -- is in doubt. President-elect Donald Trump said repeatedly during his campaign that one of his first acts would be to “repeal and replace” the law known as Obamacare. The Times spoke to experts about whether it would be possible for the state to keep operating its Obamacare exchange called Covered California, where consumers shop for subsidized health insurance, if the law was repealed. (Petersen, 11/11)
Los Angeles Times:
If Obamacare Is Repealed, California Has The Most To Lose — Putting The Insured On Edge
California led the way with Obamacare, signing up more people for health insurance than any other state. Now with a possibility that President-elect Donald Trump will repeal the law, as he has promised, the stakes are higher here than anywhere else. “We’ve basically cut the number of uninsured in a little bit more than half, which is enormous progress,” said Dr. Gerald Kominski, head of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. But California’s huge gains also mean that if the Affordable Care Act is undone, “we have the most to lose.” (Karlamangla, 11/13)
California Healthline:
What Will The Rollback Of Obamacare Look Like In California?
California went all in on Obamacare and now faces the prospect of President-elect Donald Trump and Congress dismantling key parts of that historic expansion in coverage. Under the Affordable Care Act, the state’s insurance exchange has enrolled more than 1.4 million people and California’s Medi-Cal program added about 3.5 million lower-income residents to the rolls. (11/14)
KQED:
What Happens To Medicaid In California Under A Trump Administration?
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed that he will repeal and replace Obamacare. Specifics are scarce, but one plan Trump has outlined would change how the federal government funds Medicaid, health coverage for low-income people. Twenty-million Americans now have health coverage because of Obamacare. A full quarter of them are in California. And most of them are covered by Medi-Cal, California's version of Medicaid. (Dembosky, 11/11)
The Mercury News:
Trump's Election Sparks Fears Of California Health Consumers
For 5 million Californians like Hugo Campos, Donald Trump’s stunning election last week was accompanied by the unsettling sound of a ticking clock. Campos, a self-employed Oakland business consultant, once went without health insurance because he has heart disease. He was able to buy a subsidized Kaiser policy in late 2013 only because of the Affordable Care Act, which prevents insurers from denying him coverage because of a pre-existing condition. But Trump’s vow to repeal and replace the health care law has left the 50-year-old Campos in shock. (Seipel, 11/14)
CALmatters:
Unfunded Or Undone: How A Trump Presidency May Affect California Policies
The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, hangs in the balance after the sweeping win on Tuesday by President-elect Donald Trump, who called it "a catastrophe" and promised to kill it immediately. This week GOP leaders continued to cite its repeal as their top priority. That has big implications for California, a state that enthusiastically embraced the federal expansion and relied on federal dollars to pay for it. “Can he effectively limit the program as of the first day or early in the administration? Absolutely,” said Gerald Kominski, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. “He’s not going to be able to have any credibility with his constituents if he starts waffling on day one.” (11/11)
Orange County Register:
Covered California Enrollees Fear Loss Of Health Coverage
Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, said Thursday that enrollees have been calling and posting on Facebook with questions about the future of their coverage. Open enrollment for next year started Nov. 1. “We’re seeking to provide them the assurance we can that their coverage is not in jeopardy,” Lee said. He advised Californians to take a deep breath and proceed with shopping around for the best price. He noted that state and federal contracts with insurers are already in place for next year. (Perkes, 11/11)
Modesto Bee:
Repealing Obamacare Would Threaten Insurance For 66,000 Valley Residents In Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Merced Counties
Health advocates fear serious consequences in places such as the Northern San Joaquin Valley if Republicans led by President-elect Donald Trump repeal the Affordable Care Act. In a plan released Thursday, Trump promised to work with a GOP-controlled Congress to repeal Obamacare and replace it with coverage that includes Health Savings Accounts, an option that evolved in the insurance market before President Barack Obama signed the health reform law in 2010. Policy experts say Republicans have enough Senate votes to defund the expansion of Medicaid, which allowed thousands of low-income adults in Stanislaus County to enroll in the Medi-Cal program in the last three years. (Carlson, 11/11)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Covered CA Director Urges Enrollees To Ignore Trump-Caused Uncertainty
Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange, is at a crossroads brought about by President-elect Donald Trump’s vow to repeal at least parts of the Affordable Care Act. Obamacare pays income-based subsidies to 87 percent of the 1.3 million Californians currently covered by plans sold through the exchange. Elimination of those payments could very well lead to mass cancellations by consumers no longer able to afford their insurance policies. (Sisson, 11/11)