Parsing Policy: Just More Political Fury About Alleged Health Law Sabotage; More Americans Will Be Priced Out Of Health Care
Opinion writers express views about the Trump administration's changes to the health law.
The Wall Street Journal:
The Health Insurers Squawk
Over the weekend arrived some fresh political fury that the Trump Administration is trying to sabotage ObamaCare by suspending something called “risk adjustment” payments. Not so much. (7/10)
Chicago Sun Times:
Affordable Care Act Sabotage: Donald Trump Undermines Obamacare
A campaign to sabotage the Affordable Care Act took another step forward over the weekend when the Trump administration announced it will indefinitely suspend “risk adjustment payments.” That’s bad news for the chronically ill, the disabled, the elderly and all others whose health care costs can run considerably higher than average. It’s bad news, as well, for all Americans who believe that nobody should be priced out of basic health care just to save the rest of us a buck. (7/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Another Challenge For Obamacare — And A Bigger Bill For Taxpayers
Seemingly every move the Trump administration has made when it comes to healthcare has been designed to maximize the harm to the insurance programs launched or expanded under Obamacare. In addition to the president’s (thus far unsuccessful) efforts to repeal the law outright, the Department of Health and Human Services has taken a series of administrative actions that undermine one the law’s main features: the state exchanges where Americans not covered by large employer health plans can shop for policies. The moves have caused plenty of anxiety, yet the exchanges are enduring. In fact, this year some insurers are expanding their offerings. But insurers are also responding with higher premiums, making coverage significantly more expensive for some of the Americans who shop there and — because the government subsidizes low-income consumers in the exchanges — driving up the cost to federal taxpayers. (7/10)
Houston Chronicle:
Health Care In Texas After Kennedy Leaves The Supreme Court
Who would have thought the retirement of a single U.S. Supreme Court justice could effectively decide whether you’re eligible for health insurance if you have a pre-existing medical condition? It sounds a little far-fetched, but it seems to be where we’re headed. There was a time when insurance companies refused coverage or jacked up the rates for people who had pre-existing conditions such as cancer, diabetes, HIV or Alzheimer’s and even for babies born with a congenital heart disease. That was insanity. Treating sickness — and paying for it — is the very reason why people have insurance in the first place. Despite its flaws, the Affordable Care Act effectively made insurance companies cover people no matter their medical history. The outcome has been a good one. (Katy Caldwell, 7/11)
