After weeks of secrecy, Senate Republican leaders have finally released a draft version of the budget resolution they intend to use to repeal and replace much of the Affordable Care Act. [More]
affordable care act
3 Things You Should Know About Crowdfunding Medical Bills
By 6.13.17
With the Affordable Care Act in limbo, and the details of the Republican repeal-and-replace plans still not fully known, a growing number of Americans are turning to crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe or YouCaring to raise money to cover their medical bills. [More]
3 Things We Know About The Senate’s Obamacare Repeal Bill
By 6.12.17 — Updated: 6.13.17
The Senate — or at least, 13 Republican senators — are currently plugging away at their version of legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Hill-watchers say the goal is to have a vote within the next two weeks, but no drafts of the bill have circulated, no hearings have been held, and all talks are closed-door — so what do we know about the bill? [More]
1-In-4 Families Don’t Seek Medical Attention Because Of Financial Worries
By 6.7.17
With the latest reports suggesting that the American Health Care Act — a budget resolution intended to repeal and replace much of the Affordable Care Act — would leave more than 23 million consumers without insurance and facing higher out-of-pocket costs, it’s no surprise that consumers are a bit uneasy when it comes to their healthcare. In fact, a new survey suggests that in the face of rising costs, some families are foregoing medical care to save a few — or a few thousand — bucks. [More]
CBO: House Obamacare Repeal Plan Leaves 23 Million More Without Insurance; Higher Out-Of-Pocket Costs
By 5.24.17
Nearly three weeks after the House of Representatives narrowly passed the American Health Care Act — a budget resolution intended to repeal and replace much of the Affordable Care Act — the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is estimating that this latest version of the GOP plan will still leave 23 million additional people without insurance, and result in policies that will drive up your out-of-pocket expenses. [More]
15 States Go To Court Against Congress In Effort To Save Obamacare Subsidies
By 5.18.17
Three years ago, the House of Representatives sued then Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell in an attempt to end an Affordable Care Act provision that providers federal payments to insurance companies to reduce policyholders’ out-of-pocket costs like co-payments and deductibles. That lawsuit is still being sorted out by a federal appeals court, but with a new White House and HHS Secretary publicly committed to ending these payments, attorneys general from 15 states and the District of Columbia are attempting to step in. [More]
Senate Obamacare Repeal Bill May Result In Millions More Losing Insurance; Loss Of Additional Protections
By 5.11.17 — Updated: 5.14.17
When the House passed its version of the American Health Care Act — the budget resolution intended to gut much the 2010 Affordable Care act or “Obamacare” — many, including some Republicans who decided to give their support to the bill at the last minute, assumed that the Senate would address some of its perceived shortcomings: too many people being priced out of coverage, loss of essential health benefits. However, if some in the Senate get their way, the version it votes on could see millions more people without insurance. [More]
We Won’t Get Estimate On Cost Of Obamacare Repeal Bill Until At Least May 22
By 5.10.17
It’s already been nearly a week since the House of Representatives narrowly approved a controversial budget resolution that guts much of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, and we still don’t have any estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office of what this massive change to the insurance system might cost. Now the CBO says it may be another two weeks until we get that estimate. [More]
Obamacare Repeal Bill To Face Questions, Changes From Skeptical Republicans
By 5.4.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
The House of Representatives has narrowly passed a budget resolution intended to repeal a number of core tenets of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, with 20 Republicans voting against the bill. It now heads on to the Senate, where the GOP can’t really afford to have any of its members voting no. However, a number of Republicans have already expressed skepticism of what’s in the legislation. [More]
House Closes Loophole Protecting Members From Losing Insurance Benefits; Still Leaves Veterans’ Tax Credits At Risk
By 5.4.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
As part of today’s vote on the Republican resolution to gut the Affordable Care Act, the House of Representatives also voted to close a loophole that would have exempted members of Congress and their staff members from possibly losing certain protections from their insurance plans. Meanwhile, lawmakers took no action to protect millions of veterans from potentially losing access to healthcare tax credits if this bill passes. [More]
House Passes Obamacare Repeal Resolution
By 5.4.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
More than a month after Republicans decided to not vote on a budget resolution that would gut the Affordable Care Act, a revised version of that resolution finally came to the House floor for a vote this afternoon amid concerns that there is no estimate yet on what these changes will cost and how they will affect millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions. [More]
Obamacare Repeal Could Also Mean More Out-Of-Pocket Costs For Americans With Employer-Sponsored Plans
By 5.4.17
Many people watching the debate about the repeal of the Affordable Care Act have shrugged off many of the concerns — higher costs for people with pre-existing conditions, loss of essential health benefits — because they get their insurance through an employer-sponsored group health plan. However, a provision in the Republican repeal legislation could allow could result in changes to out-of-pocket costs for Americans in these plans. [More]
House To Vote On Obamacare Repeal That Could Leave Americans With Pre-Existing Conditions Without Coverage
By 5.3.17
UPDATE: Both the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal are now reporting that the House is indeed planning to vote on the repeal measure Thursday. [More]
Coverage For Pre-Existing Conditions Could Be At Risk In Latest Obamacare Repeal Plan
By 4.4.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
The White House is working with Republican lawmakers in Congress to revive legislation that would repeal and replace core parts of the Affordable Care Act, but some of the changes being discussed to make this bill more palatable to opponents may take away one of the more popular aspects of the ACA. [More]
Just When You Thought It Was Dead, ACA Repeal Talks Are Back
By 3.28.17
After the Republican effort to repeal core elements of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) was pulled minutes before it was to be considered for a vote by the House of Representatives, both President Trump and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan indicated that the ACA was the “law of the land” for the time-being, and that there likely wouldn’t be another repeal attempt this year. But now, Ryan and other lawmakers are already indicating that they may work together to target the ACA again sooner than expected.
[More]
GOP Pulls Obamacare Repeal Bill Minutes Before Scheduled House Vote
By 3.24.17
Facing all but certain death in the House of Representatives, the American Health Care Act — the budget resolution intended to repeal much of the 2010 Affordable Care Act — was pulled from consideration only minutes before legislators were set to vote. [More]
CBO: Revised Obamacare Replacement Would Cost More, Still Leave 52 Million Without Insurance By 2026
By 3.23.17
When the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office first looked at the GOP legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, it predicted that changes would cut more than $300 billion from the federal deficit over the next decade, but at the cost of 52 million Americans going without health care coverage. Republicans have continued to tinker with the bill and even canceled today’s scheduled vote in order to keep tweaking, but the latest numbers from CBO say that the revised legislation could result in fewer savings for the Treasury and no real change to the number of uninsured. [More]
Here Are The Changes Made To The Obamacare Replacement Plan Since Last Week
By 3.21.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
As you’ve probably noticed, there is is a lot going on down in D.C. right now. Amid all the confirmation hearings, investigative hearings, and press events about hearings, the House of Representatives is preparing to vote on the recently unveiled replacement to the Affordable Care Act. However, the bill they consider later this week will be slightly different from what was first released. [More]
