What’s At Stake? Essential Benefits, Personal Finances Could Be Impacted By AHCA
As lawmakers continue to negotiate over what should and shouldn't be in the bill, news outlets round up its key areas of potential impact.
Los Angeles Times:
What Would Stay And What Would Go In The House Republican Plan To Roll Back Obamacare
If the bill passes the House, it must still go through the Senate, where many changes are expected to be made. But if the American Heath Care Act were to become law, it would mean big changes for millions of Americans. Here is a rundown of what would change and what wouldn’t under the House plan. (Levey, 3/23)
Stat:
This Unheralded Part Of Obamacare Just Shot To The Center Of The Health Care Debate
As Republicans frantically scramble to find votes to pass their health care bill, the most important debate may be about one issue: essential health benefits. That is the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that health insurance plans sold to individuals and small groups cover 10 types of services, from prescription drugs to substance abuse treatment to maternity care. That requirement was never as widely discussed or debated as Obamacare’s individual mandate or Medicaid expansion. But it is now central to understanding the debate in Congress. (Scott, 3/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Obamacare Repeal Threatens Health Programs Just As They're Starting To Work
As hundreds of thousands of Coloradans gained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, known as or Obamacare, Denver built an extensive new system to keep patients healthy, hiring dozens of mental health specialists and nurses, expanding dental clinics and launching efforts to help patients manage debilitating illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease. Now, the model is in jeopardy, just as Denver and other cities nationwide are beginning to reap its benefits. (Levey, 3/22)
The Associated Press:
Republican Health Bill Would Widen America's Big Wealth Gap
House Republicans' health care bill provides massive tax cuts to the wealthy while increasing taxes for many lower income families, adding to America's big income gap between the rich and everyone else. Over the past quarter century, only one group of people has seen significant increases in income — those at the very top. Families in the middle or at the bottom of the economic ladder have seen little or no increase in wages. (Ohlemacher, 3/23)
The Washington Post:
Repealing Obamacare Could Cost The Average Poor Family Benefits Worth A Third Of Its Income
The Republican health care bill could cost the average poor family benefits worth a third of their income while giving the most affluent families a $5,000 tax break, according to the first detailed report on the income distribution effects of President Trump and GOP lawmakers' plan to undo the Affordable Care Act. (Johnson and Ehrenfreund, 3/22)
The Associated Press:
Retirement Dreams Fizzle For Some With 'Obamacare' Repeal
Workers dreaming of early retirement are getting the jitters as Washington debates replacing the Obama-era health care law with a system that could be a lot more expensive for many older Americans. The uncertainty over the cost of coverage in the individual market has caused some in their 50s and early 60s to put plans on hold. Others who already left jobs with health benefits before reaching Medicare age are second-guessing their move to self-employment. (Johnson, 3/22)