Throughout the campaign, President-Elect Donald Trump’s entire health message consisted of promising to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
That remains difficult with Democrats still commanding enough power in the Senate to block the 60 votes needed for a full repeal. Republicans could use fast-track budget authority to make some major changes to the law, although that could take some time. In the short term, however, Trump could use executive power to make some major changes on his own.
Beyond the health law, Trump also could push for some Republican perennials, such as giving states block grants to handle Medicaid, allowing insurers to sell across state lines and establishing a federal high-risk insurance pool for people who are ill and unable to get private insurance.
But those options, too, would likely meet Democratic resistance, and it’s unclear where health will land on what could be a jam-packed White House agenda.
Given their druthers, Trump and congressional Republicans would push to end the individual and employer mandates, eliminate ACA insurance reforms such as minimum essential benefit packages, pare back and restructure the premium subsidies, and junk the CMS Innovation Center and the Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board, said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, an adviser to Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign and former director of the Congressional Budget Office.
Experts say those measures would largely unravel the ACA system and could lead to millions of people losing coverage.
It's not clear whether or how a Trump administration would provide subsidies to help people buy or keep coverage. The House Republican leaders' plan proposed refundable tax credits for individuals without access to employer-based or public coverage. But the Trump campaign's seven-point healthcare proposal and the GOP health policy agenda don't mention any subsidy mechanism. Another issue is that if they moved to repeal the ACA and its hundreds of billions in revenue, Republicans would have no way to fund subsidies for the uninsured, noted John Goodman, a veteran Republican health policy expert.
Experts say those measures would largely unravel the ACA system and could lead to millions of people losing coverage.
It's not clear whether or how a Trump administration would provide subsidies to help people buy or keep coverage. The House Republican leaders' plan proposed refundable tax credits for individuals without access to employer-based or public coverage. But the Trump campaign's seven-point healthcare proposal and the GOP health policy agenda don't mention any subsidy mechanism. Another issue is that if they moved to repeal the ACA and its hundreds of billions in revenue, Republicans would have no way to fund subsidies for the uninsured, noted John Goodman, a veteran Republican health policy expert.
Trump, GOP In Congress Could Use ‘Must-Pass’ Bills To Bring Health Changes | Kaiser Health News
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