aca reporting: the insurers’ stances

Insurers generally have two major problems with the repeal bill that passed the House in May. They think its tax credits to help low-income Americans purchase coverage are too stingy, and they’re worried about its $834 billion cut to Medicaid — a program that’s been increasingly lucrative for them….

…But insurers have mostly focused on trying to get the Trump administration to continue a key Obamacare subsidy program that’s being challenged in court. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut off that funding, which most insurance experts believe would trigger an implosion of the struggling Obamacare markets. The fate of the subsidies, worth about $7 billion per year, remains in limbo after the Trump administration recently asked a federal court for another 90 days to consider how to proceed.

Killing Obamacare

The uncertainty of whether the administration will fund federal cost-sharing payments led Blue Cross Blue Shield of N.C. on Thursday to offer two premium increase scenarios for the 2018 individual marketplace exchange.

The first is a 22.9 percent hike predicated on the White House choosing not to fund the payments, which serve as subsidies to help lower-income individuals buy plans with reduced out-of-pocket costs for medical care, such as lower deductibles and co-payments.

The second scenario is an 8.8 percent premium increase with the cost-sharing payments funded.

Republicans have sued the Obama administration to stop the subsidies, with that case tied up in court.

aca reporting: fact-checking the pre-existings

States and the Secretary of Health and Human Services would decide how to interpret “health status.” State waivers must be approved by the federal government. Opponents of AHCA say that because “health status” is up for interpretation, there is no control in the bill to prevent rising costs for survivors of rape and sexual assault.

VOTE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY

call yer reps. CALL THEM.

ACA reporting: Sabotaging ACA

The results of this sabotage include higher premiums, higher costs to taxpayers, millions of people…

ACA reporting: ACP Tweets

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/20/14980660/american-college-of-physicians-ahca

ACA reporting: Blunt lies

“He said he wants ‘policies that make health care more affordable and accessible,’ but the Republican plan will cut the number of insured and ignore regional variances in the cost of health care,” she said.

ACA reporting: What Physicians Think

ALL anyone is willing to listen to is “I need care how can I afford it.” No one talks about how in 10 years do we have a smaller NEED for care.

ACA reporting: Where we are with AHCA

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/08/politics/house-health-care-markup/

ACA reporting: No ‘death spiral’: CBO

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/3/14/14921594/obamacare-implosion-ahca The key passage is a somewhat jargon-full sentence on the second page of the report that says, “In CBO and JCT’s assessment, however, the nongroup market would probably be stable in most areas under either current law or the legislation.”

ACA reporting: Trump fans in WV

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/west-virginia-tug-river-obamacare/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_tugriver826pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory   Because of the ACA, Clyde’s visit is covered by Medicaid. Before the law, most West Virginians without children or disabilities could not qualify for Medicaid, no matter how poor they were. The ACA — better known here as Obamacare — expanded the program to cover more people, such as Clyde, who can depend…

ACA reporting: Rs on fence?

Before the bill has even reached House committees, conservative senators and groups have come out against the plan to replace the Affordable Care Act.