EDITORIAL: GOP’s risky rush to repeal Obamacare
The steady drumbeat of "repeal and replace" has given way to repeal and, well, hope something else comes along.
So far, congressional
If they race ahead without a replacement, the potential upheaval should frighten even the staunchest critics of the Affordable Care Act.
At least 18 million people -- that's one in every 17 Americans -- would lose their health insurance within the first year if
Within a decade, the report said, the number of people without health insurance would grow to 32 million, and premiums for individual policies would double.
The CBO forecast is based on
Few states have as much at stake as
In the three years since the law took full effect, 1.2 million people have purchased private health insurance policies through Covered California, the state's insurance exchange. The average out-of-pocket cost for monthly premiums, according to a study published in Health Affairs, is
Also at stake is
Here in
The financial underpinnings of Obamacare are the requirement to have health insurance and the subsidies that make it affordable, but the repercussions of repeal and delay extend beyond the millions of people who would lose their health insurance.
Hospitals, which are legally required to treat people whether they are insured or not, could expect renewed financial pressures from providing uncompensated care. Expanded access to
It's likely that congressional
These aren't insignificant concerns -- and there aren't any ready alternatives. That's the primary reason that
Obamacare hasn't delivered everything it promised, but Americans aren't clamoring to give up their newly gained health insurance. Indeed, public opinion polls show that the vast majority of people who favor repeal want a replacement ready first, and they have been led to believe a replacement will cost less and provide better coverage than Obamacare.
We doubt that's possible. If there is such a plan, we'll support it.
Until they can present a replacement,
___
(c)2017 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.)
Visit The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.) at www.pressdemocrat.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Get and Use Auto Insurance Quotes and Enjoy Top Advantages!
Minn. Administrative Law Judge Says State Insurance Regulator Exceeded Authority
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News