Perspectives On Health And Taxes: Individual Mandate In The Crosshairs; Impact On Medicaid
Opinion writers explore some of the health issues at play in the congressional debate over revamping the tax code.
USA Today:
Senate Tax Bill Fails Individual Insurance Responsibility
The Senate tax bill in its final stages of debate has many flaws. But none is more disconcerting — and none represents a more thorough reversal of what used to be bedrock Republican principles — than its ending of the requirement that all Americans have health insurance. This requirement, known as the individual mandate, is a centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act. Senate Republicans tacked repeal of the mandate on to their tax bill as a way to help fund a host of cuts for corporations and wealthy interests. (11/30)
USA Today:
End The Individual Mandate
The Senate Republican tax reform bill doesn’t end the health insurance mandate; it just eliminates the tax penalty if people choose not to buy, or can’t afford, government-approved health coverage. That’s like a huge tax cut for uninsured Americans. The subsidies that help moderate-income families buy coverage — the most effective inducement to join Obamacare — remain in place, as do the insurance regulations. (Merrill Matthews, 11/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
Think Of Tax Reform As The Trump Family’s Christmas List
Statements from the White House suggest that Mr. Trump doesn’t much care whether the bill undermines ObamaCare, cuts individual taxes permanently or temporarily, or abolishes the deduction for state and local taxes. But no matter how the House and Senate provisions reconcile, the Trump family will get a magnificent Christmas present while millions of Americans will get lumps of coal. (Alan S. Blinder, 11/30)
Los Angeles Times:
Sen. Rubio Tells A Secret: After Giving A Tax Cut To The Rich, GOP Will Cut Social Security And Medicare
Advocates for seniors and the middle class have been warning for weeks that the Republican drive to cut taxes for the wealthy is the prelude to a larger attack on Social Security and Medicare. In a videotaped interview with two Politico reporters Wednesday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said the quiet parts out loud. Asked by interviewers Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman how to address the federal deficit, he replied: “We have to do two things. We have to generate economic growth which generates revenue, while reducing spending. That will mean instituting structural changes to Social Security and Medicare for the future.” (Michael Hiltzik, 11/30)
And in commentaries on other aspects of the Affordable Care Act and health policy being considered by Congress.
San Diego Union-Tribune:
How An Independent Panel Could Ration Medicare Services
The U.S. Senate has its own opportunity to help promote greater choice for older adults in Medicare by joining the House in voting to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). IPAB was included as a last-minute addition to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010. It would establish a 15-member commission all appointed by the president and vested with the responsibility to make arbitrary reductions in Medicare. These changes would be mandatory and would automatically become law unless Congress passed legislation by a two-thirds majority to make equivalent cuts. (Bob Blancato and Paul Downey, 11/30)
Forbes:
Poverty Trends Under Obamacare
There has been a marked reduction in poverty rates since the inception of Obamacare. Children, non-elderly adults and the elderly all have benefited from the slow, but steady economic growth we observed between 2010 and 2016. Correlation, of course, should not be mistaken for causation. And what I found when I unpacked the details may surprise some readers. First, for children and non-elderly adults, the absolute decline in poverty rates was nearly identical whether or not out-of-pocket medical spending was taken into account. (Chris Conover, 11/30)
Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Congress Is Creating A Nightmare For Virginia Families
Beginning today, thousands of families will receive a letter stating that their child’s health insurance will end at the end of January 2018. After months of consideration, Congress has yet to reauthorize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — locally, the Family Access to Medical Insurance Security plan, or FAMIS — and it is heading toward allowing the funding to expire completely. (Greg Peters, 11/30)
