Older Adults Could See Premiums Spike By 25% If Health Law Is Repealed
Under current rules, insurers cannot charge older adults more than three times what they charge young adults for the same coverage, but that could change under the Republicans' plans. Meanwhile, Utah's surge in sign ups under the Affordable Care Act this year highlights problems Republicans will face when dismantling the law, and conservative groups say their patience has come to an end.
The New York Times:
Repeal Of Health Law Faces A New Hurdle: Older Americans
Republican plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act have encountered a new obstacle: adamant opposition from many older Americans whose health insurance premiums would increase. AARP and its allies are bombarding congressional offices with objections as two House committees plan to vote on the Republicans’ bill this week. If the law is repealed, the groups say, people in their 50s and 60s could see premiums rise by $2,000 to $3,000 a year or more: increases of 20 percent to 25 percent or higher. (Pear, 3/5)
Earlier KHN coverage: GOP Fix To Insurance Markets Could Spike Premiums For Older Customers (Rau and Appleby, 2/22)
The New York Times:
In Red-State Utah, A Surge Toward Obamacare
From the moment the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, most elected officials in this sturdily Republican state have been eager to squash it. But something surprising is happening here. Despite deep uncertainty about the law’s future, Utah recorded one of the biggest increases of any state in residents who signed up for coverage under the act this year. Now, the state is seeing a surprising burst of activism against repealing the law — including from Republicans. (Goodnough, 3/3)
The New York Times:
Patience Gone, Koch-Backed Groups Will Pressure G.O.P. On Health Repeal
Saying their patience is at an end, conservative activist groups backed by the billionaire Koch brothers and other powerful interests on the right are mobilizing to pressure Republicans to fulfill their promise to swiftly repeal the Affordable Care Act. Their message is blunt and unforgiving, with the goal of reawakening some of the most extensive conservative grass-roots networks in the country. It is a reminder that even as Republicans control both the White House and Congress for the first time in a decade, the party’s activist wing remains restless and will not go along passively for the sake of party unity. (Peters, 3/5)
And in other health law news —
Modern Healthcare:
High Anxiety: Healthcare Execs Want Coverage Continuity
What's keeping him and other healthcare industry CEOs up at night is the huge uncertainty created by the Republican drive to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. They fear a new GOP-crafted system would reduce premium subsidies and Medicaid funding, drive up the number of uninsured Americans, spike uncompensated-care costs, and threaten their organizations' financial viability. (Meyer, 3/4)
Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Will Trump's Big Health Care Plan Give You Money Trouble?
On Monday, President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress (and the nation). In his speech, he shared his blueprint for the country’s future. Many of his remarks centered on national security, jobs and taxes, but the item on many minds was health care. Following a spate of town hall meetings in which angry constituents confronted their Republican representatives, Trump laid out his vision for replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also called Obamacare). (Marquit, 3/3)
Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Richmond Cancer Survivor Fears Repeal Of Affordable Care Act Could Leave Her Uninsured
If the ACA is entirely repealed without any replacement for people like her, Emma will be at the mercy of insurers that, prior to the health law, were legally allowed to discriminate against cancer patients, refusing to cover them or charging them exorbitant prices. Several ideas are swirling through Congress right now as a Republican majority aims to keep its promise to repeal the health law. But several pieces of it — such as the patient protections that helped Emma — remain popular, and President Donald Trump has said he would like to keep some of them. (Demeria, 3/3)
Boston Globe:
Hospital Chiefs Warn Health Law Changes Could Lead To Job Cuts
Mayor Martin J. Walsh sat down Friday with leaders of the city’s biggest hospitals to talk about the potential impact of a repeal of President Obama’s signature health care law. What he heard wasn’t comforting. The executives told Walsh that policies Republicans in Washington are considering to replace the Affordable Care Act could destabilize their organizations and lead to job cuts. Hospitals are among the city’s largest private employers and a powerful engine driving the local economy. (McCluskey, 3/4)
