In the political drama surrounding the new administration, healthcare is certain to take center stage as the 115th Congress convenes tomorrow and Donald Trump is sworn in as our 45th President and Chief Executive January 20. As it turns out, healthcare was a major issue in Campaign 2016, especially with Clinton-Sanders followers who wished expansion of coverage and a vocal minority of GOP voters who liked the promise of Repeal and Replace. Now it’s time to govern.
For the new Congress and administration, governing healthcare will play out against a testy backdrop: it will not be easy.
The Nation is Divided about the Affordable Care Act (HR3590): Only one in four Americans and one in two Republicans surveyed after the election wants the ACA repealed. By contrast, 30% want it expanded and 19% want it to remain as is, (Kaiser Family Foundation Poll December 28, 2016). Elements of the law are popular, like protections against denial of coverage due to pre-existing condition and continuation of coverage for young adults under 26 on their parents’ policy. But the individual mandate became a rallying cry for opponents who labeled it “government run healthcare” and partisans who tagged it ‘Obamacare’ voting to repeal it more than 60 times in the House. Objectively, for the past four years, the ACA has been shorthand for a debate about health insurance coverage and premium costs. The law imposed restrictions on how insurers operate and expanded coverage via Medicaid expansion and subsidies for those between 100 and 400% of the federal poverty level. Access increased–20 million are now covered that weren’t before—and premiums went up for everyone because the law imposed restrictions on how plans were required operate. Ironically, the insurance reforms are in Title I of the ACA “Quality, Affordable Health Care for all Americans”; delivery system reforms that address gaps in quality, care coordination, healthcare workforce innovation and unnecessary care are covered in the other 9 titles that got little attention from media, political pundits and politicians. Nonetheless, the ACA divides America though most know little about what’s in it.
During the campaign, President-elect Trump said “(w)hen it comes time to negotiate the cost of drugs, we are going to negotiate like crazy.”
So, you decided to come to Washington to see what was new and how things might be changing… I am sure we did not disappoint.
