Denver Post Op-Ed: Reality Check: Fixing Health Care Requires Repeal of Obamacare
Two weeks into 2017, it is clearer than ever that fixing our nation's health care system will require a full repeal of
Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle like to highlight the number of uninsured Americans to measure the success of the ACA, but there is a big difference between people having health insurance and people having true access to health care.
It is time for a reality check.
Health care isn't affordable or accessible when the cheapest plan comes with an average deductible of more than
In
How can anyone look at these numbers and say that
We also continue to hear the narrative that repealing Obamacare will take insurance away from millions of Americans overnight. This is untrue for a number of reasons, the first of which was stated above: the number of people with health insurance isn't a good measure of access to health care when many can't afford to use the insurance they've been forced to purchase.
Secondly, since Obamacare was enacted, the net total of newly-insured Americans is 16.9 million. The biggest gains were made in two categories: employer-sponsored health plans and
We saw 9.6 million Americans gain insurance through their employer, but it is important to remember that the Obamacare employer mandate was delayed during 2014, so it's hard to credit the law for these gains. Of the 6.5 million people who gained health insurance through
The second narrative we continue to hear revolves around patients with pre-existing conditions. The existing protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions would continue without Obamacare. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) prohibits insurance companies from denying insurance to any individual who transfers between group markets. This means that if you have a pre-existing condition and you change jobs, your new insurer cannot increase your rates or deny you insurance because of your pre-existing condition.
The Republican plan for replacing Obamacare envisions expanding these HIPAA protections to the individual markets, which should put the minds of parents whose children are living with disabilities or individuals who have experienced jobs loss at ease. Combined with the protections that the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) provides, under the Republican replacement plans, no individual with a pre-existing condition will be denied insurance coverage or see their rates spike. Ensuring that individuals with pre-existing conditions have access to health insurance will continue to be one of our top priorities.
And speaking of replacement plans, the narrative that
Replacing
Read this original document at: http://lamborn.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1905
DelBene Statement on CBO Report Highlighting Harm of ACA Repeal
Pallone on House Passage of GOP Budget Resolution to Repeal the Affordable Care Act
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News