As most of you know, we work hard to bring you the latest news related to health care and the benefits world. And while we like having plenty to report, we’ve had our hands full this past year. Hardly a day passes lately without some major bombshell related to our industry coming down the pike.
This can make it difficult to discuss certain timely topics in the pages of this magazine. By the time a given issue goes to print, the talking points have often shifted significantly.
That has been the case recently, with the on-again, off-again, will-they, won't-they nature of the ACA. Or should I say the AHCA? No, wait, I had it right the first time… right?
After years of criticizing Obamacare and promising to repeal and replace it with “something great,” the GOP recently ran headlong into the brick wall of reality. Months of build-up and promises ended when the American Health Care Act showed up DOA, pulled from the House floor after it became clear Republicans did not have the necessary votes.
So what now?
Shortly after withdrawing the bill, Speaker Paul Ryan declared that “Obamacare is the law of the land” and said it will remain so “for the foreseeable future.” However, this seeming concession was quickly trumped by the president in several statements, including the following tweet: “Anybody (especially Fake News media) who thinks that Repeal & Replace of ObamaCare is dead does not know the love and strength in R Party!”
The GOP is stuck in a tough position: Attempts to make the bill more appealing to the Freedom Caucus will likely lead to increased opposition from moderate parts of the GOP, including the Senate. And vice versa.
As I write this, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., one of the AHCA's most vocal critics, is floating a compromise he says could appeal to both conservatives and moderates. But there are still lots of potential snags to work out, including Medicaid expansion and pre-existing conditions, to name a few.
In the wake of the AHCA's demise, Trump has cast blame on everyone from Democrats to conservative Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus. But so far, the president himself seems to be escaping much of the blame, at least among his supporters. A recent Reuters poll found voters who elected Trump largely gave him a pass on the collapse of one of his main campaign promises, instead lashing out at conservatives, Democrats and Congressional Republicans. Will they continue to be so forgiving if progress isn't made soon? Only time will tell.
Who knew health care could be so complicated?
Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.
Your access to unlimited BenefitsPRO content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Paul Wilson
Paul Wilson is the editor-in-chief of BenefitsPRO Magazine and BenefitsPRO.com. He has covered the insurance industry for more than a decade, including stints at Retirement Advisor Magazine and ProducersWeb.
