National Perspectives: Partial Repeal Could Lead To More Instability Than Fully Dismantling Law
A selection of opinions from across the country on Donald Trump's election win.
The New York Times:
The Future Of Obamacare Looks Bleak
Republicans in Congress have been calling for the repeal of Obamacare since it passed in 2010. With control of both houses of Congress and the presidency, they may finally get their chance to undo huge, consequential parts of the health law next year. If they succeed, about 22 million fewer Americans would have health insurance, according to an estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 11/9)
Bloomberg:
Repealing Obamacare May Be Easy. Replacing It Won't Be.
Trump's pitch to motivate insurers to compete against one another on price and quality of service sounds great in theory. In fact, all insurers already can sell plans in every state. There's a good reason why they don't. Insurance is regulated by the states, not the federal government. Each state writes its own minimum requirements for health coverage; for reserves and other solvency guarantees; for dispute settlements; and for how much plans can discriminate by charging older, sicker people more and younger, healthier people less. To sell plans in, say, Oklahoma, UnitedHealthcare, the U.S.'s largest health insurer, must follow Oklahoma's regulations. No single product would conform with Oklahoma's regulations and those of neighboring states. So UnitedHealthcare must tailor products for each. (Paula Dwyer, 11/10)
Forbes:
TrumpCare: In The Beginning ...
Yesterday Americans woke up to news of a new president-elect: Donald J. Trump. The immediate question for those whose lives focus around lifting the health of individual Americans is, “What does this mean for health care in America?” At the heart of the answer is uncertainty. Trump is an “unknown unknown” when it comes to deep, thoughtful health policy. He has excelled in many fields, but at best he personally has only dabbled in the field of health care, which accounts for a fifth of our overall economy and affects literally every American. (Bill Frist, 11/10)
Stat:
An Abortion Doctor On Trump’s Win: ‘I Fear For My Life. I Fear For My Patients.’
As I’ve headed to work in recent days to see abortion patients in my office, I have felt bereft: All the premises of my life, work, education, and future were gone. Something very profound in the meaning of the America I know has been destroyed with the election of Donald J. Trump as president. (Warren M. Hern, 11/11)
The Washington Post:
Republicans Face A Daunting Task: Governing
Donald Trump was president-elect for less than a day before Republicans in Congress began gearing up to move policy in a way the country has not seen in six years. “The opportunity is to go big, to go bold, to get things done,” House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.) declared. The last time one party controlled Congress and the White House, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. This time, Obamacare is on the chopping block. Full repeal seems unlikely for a variety of practical and political reasons. But even before the new administration and Congress set about scaling back the ACA, they must have a real replacement plan on deck. (11/9)
Modern Healthcare:
It's Trump's Turn To Wrestle With Reforming Healthcare
One of their biggest problems will be how to fund the tax deductions or credits they have proposed to help people afford health insurance in their new system. That's because repealing the ACA means erasing the hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes that pay for the law's premium tax credits and Medicaid expansion. Last January, congressional Republicans passed a repeal bill that wiped out the subsidies, the Medicaid expansion, and most of the major taxes, including taxes on hospitals, health insurers, medical device makers, and high-income taxpayers. President Barack Obama vetoed it. (Harris Meyer, 11/9)
Stat:
Doctors To Donald Trump: First Do No Harm
We are a group of doctors who saw in your presidential campaign a threat to the health and well-being of the country. We wrote an open letter sharing our concerns, which more than 600 doctors signed. (Aaron Stupple, Andrew Goldstein and Steven Martin, 11/10)