What Trump’s win could mean for Obamacare insurance coverage
But the mandate that people buy insurance and the federal subsidies that offset premiums are likely "in the crosshairs," said
Ultimately that would means less money to pay for the popular parts of
Bottom line: decent health care coverage could become more pricey than it already is.
"What it will mean is that the cost of health insurance will become so expensive that the only people who will be buying it will be people who are very high risk and those who have money," said Baker, an insurance law scholar.
Such changes could be enacted in months by a willing
What is clear is that any alterations in the law could affect a lot of Americans, given how the number of people with health insurance coverage has increased since the sweeping law, popularly called Obamacare, took effect.
One concerned patient is
"If my supplement is dropped, I can't afford treatment and I die," said Karabian, the mother of a 3-year-old. "I'm afraid this will give me even less time than I already have."
After the
The law also allowed states to expand eligibility for
In
Those expansions are unlikely to see immediate change, said
"People know that the
As in the country at large, most Pennsylvanians get their insurance through their employers. Still, between 2013 and 2015, the uninsured rate for nonelderly adults decreased 5 percentage points from 16% to 11%.
But a lot of people still aren't on board with Obamacare: Just under 29 million Americans remain uninsured, and nearly half of them could get insurance through the law.
Just last week in
Pence also said their plan would allow Americans to purchase insurance across state lines and allow states to manage their own
In
Certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act have become so embedded in the health care system that they are unlikely to be repealed, said Drexel's Field.
Among them are various experimental programs designed to lower costs and improve quality, Field said.
"There's a lot in there that would be very difficult to suddenly do away with, and that large chunks of the healthcare industry would not want to do away with," Field said.
In addition to supporting tax-deductible health savings accounts, Trump has said he would allow those accounts to accumulate unused funds, rather than require consumers to use them within a year. He said he would require price transparency by health care providers so individuals can shop around for the best prices. He also has said he wants would-be immigrants to certify that they can pay for their own health care.
In terms of prescription drugs, Trump has called for a free market, including allowing consumers to import their medications from other countries where the prices are more regulated.
During the campaign, Trump wavered on
Trump's positions on these and other health-care issues are summarized here.
Staff writers
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