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Obamacare (The Affordable Care Act) is likely going to remain a piece of US healthcare history. Loved by many, and hated by many, Barack Obama's major piece of legislation is unlikely to be repealed.
However, tweaks, adjustments, and changes are very likely, as health insurance rates continue to increase, and out-of-pocket expenses for many Americans remains much higher than their budget allows. What changes will be coming? Stay tuned since the road will be bumpy, and medical plan prices may fluctuate quite a bit from one carrier to another.
Republican President? Democratic President? It probably won't matter, unless there is a "Super Majority" in both Houses of Congress.
Important: Answer was provided by Edward Harris, one of America's premier healthcare authorities. His award-winning website, healthinsurancezoom.com, provides the low
That is a great question! With the over fifty attempted repeal tries, and the very public stances against it that the Republican party has, you are certainly right to wonder. But for all of the bluster and rhetoric, here's what the reality is - the American public does like the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), as the uninsured rate is the lowest it's been in decades. The Supreme Court decisions gives the Law solid legal footing. With an election looming, and still stinging from what most in the Republican party thought was going to be a slam-dunk win 4 years ago on a platform of repealing the Act, I think that the wiser leaders of the party know they need to rethink that strategy. As much as they dislike it, the voting electorate does like it, and sadly, many rely on the subsidies to be able to afford their coverage. The adding of Medicaid has progressed slowly but surely, even in the Red States that had spoken out against it, as leaders realize that after the nearly 2 decades of economic pressure, the average American needs the assistance.
Even as there seems to be a to tendency to disregard facts in politics, when it comes down to where the votes are coming from, there can be softening or complete reversals of what had been very public stands on issues like health care.With the polling numbers falling solidly in favor of the Act, and the Law being upheld twice in the Supreme Court, I'd suspect you will hear less talk of repealing the Act. That said, I'm certain that each candidate will have an opinion on how he or she will change the Law to improve what doesn't work as well as it could.
There is intense pressure from the insurance companies to regain the incredible profits they were making, and other medical companies also would like to push their agenda's, so the parts of the law that kept prices low I'd expect to see attacked.
So in short, repealed? No. Changed? Probably, depending upon the outcome of the election, and how the public responds to the proposed changes. A great question, and one we in the industry have been watching closely also. Thanks for asking!
Obviously that will depend upon who the next President is. Your question probably assumes a Republican President being elected and the current Republican control of the House and Senate continuing after the 2016 elections. A possible outcome that is a distinct possibility. Now, ask yourself, "How many Federal laws have I seen totally repealed in my lifetime?" I think most people would be hard pressed to name any and this is because it is relatively rare. A new entitlement system that already has several million people involved in it has been created as has a new bureaucracy to administer it. These are hard to end.
The next President will inherit these "facts on the ground" when they take office regardless of their political persuasion. Even a Republican seen as having a clear electoral mandate to end Obamacare will be faced with the daunting political, social and, unfortunately, racial challenges that would be associated with unwinding such an enormous program. A type of political courage that has not been demonstrated in Washington in quite some time would be required to push through a total repeal. And, then there are the uncomfortable questions that have to be faced. 1) Do we truly want to go back to the way things were in health insurance before ObamaCare? (for example, should pre-existing condition exclusions be allowed to return?) and, 2) If not, what would we keep and what would we remove from ObamaCare to "fix" it?
This is purely opinion, but, looking at the practical challenges involved and the fact that ObamaCare is already injected into the health insurance/healthcare system now, the path of least resistance will be the "Fix It" route. Whether it was a President Paul or Cruz (Trump might be another case altogether) I really can't see them announcing on TV that everyone's subsidies were being ended immediately and that they would be seeing their health insurance rates increase by hundreds of dollars per month and "good luck". It might not be political suicide but it would be one heck of a headache. Some sort of transitional approach coupled with new solutions would have to be devised to minimize further disruptions in people's lives and to the healthcare/health care financing industries.
So, as much as we may wish that ObamaCare had never arrived, it has. Being realistic, whether it is fixing it, replacing it or totally undoing it, none of those things will happen immediately and the most likely scenario is one where some aspects of the law are retained and others are jettisoned or modified over time. This means that the months and years ahead are almost guaranteed to be as chaotic and subject to rapid and repeated change as what we have experienced during the previous five years.
Answer provided by Marlin McKelvy, Chartered Benefits Consultant and president of Consumer Directed Benefit Solutions insurance agency with over 30 years of employee benefits experience serving the insurance needs of businesses and individuals in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi.
Agency Owner, The Thomas G Sheehan Agency, 27 Glen Road Sandy Hook, CT 06482
The Affordable Care Act aka"Obamacare" was passed by an act of Congress and signed into law by the President. At this point, it has very little to do anymore which who may be the seated President in the future. Numerous attempts have ben made to challenge portions of the law in the courts and it has withstood these challenges.
It appears that if it were to be repealed or altered in anyway, it would once again have to be as a result of an act of Congress. Provded that the action had enough support to avoid a future President's veto power, that Congressional action could change the law as we now know it.
Hope that helps.
Agent Owner, Gilmore Insurance Services, Marysville, Washington State
It is very unlikely that the ACA (Obamacare) will disappear as it is working. Will the ACA change over time? That is a certainty because it will need to adjust to fix flaws and imperfections that weren't considered when the plan was rolled out. Basically in my 27 years in insurance, health insurance has changed every year, Obamacare is no different. It's just a health plan, just different than before, but no so much so that it doesn't fall in line with past changes in health insurance.
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However, tweaks, adjustments, and changes are very likely, as health insurance rates continue to increase, and out-of-pocket expenses for many Americans remains much higher than their budget allows. What changes will be coming? Stay tuned since the road will be bumpy, and medical plan prices may fluctuate quite a bit from one carrier to another.
Republican President? Democratic President? It probably won't matter, unless there is a "Super Majority" in both Houses of Congress.
Important: Answer was provided by Edward Harris, one of America's premier healthcare authorities. His award-winning website, healthinsurancezoom.com, provides the low
Even as there seems to be a to tendency to disregard facts in politics, when it comes down to where the votes are coming from, there can be softening or complete reversals of what had been very public stands on issues like health care.With the polling numbers falling solidly in favor of the Act, and the Law being upheld twice in the Supreme Court, I'd suspect you will hear less talk of repealing the Act. That said, I'm certain that each candidate will have an opinion on how he or she will change the Law to improve what doesn't work as well as it could.
There is intense pressure from the insurance companies to regain the incredible profits they were making, and other medical companies also would like to push their agenda's, so the parts of the law that kept prices low I'd expect to see attacked.
So in short, repealed? No. Changed? Probably, depending upon the outcome of the election, and how the public responds to the proposed changes. A great question, and one we in the industry have been watching closely also. Thanks for asking!
The next President will inherit these "facts on the ground" when they take office regardless of their political persuasion. Even a Republican seen as having a clear electoral mandate to end Obamacare will be faced with the daunting political, social and, unfortunately, racial challenges that would be associated with unwinding such an enormous program. A type of political courage that has not been demonstrated in Washington in quite some time would be required to push through a total repeal. And, then there are the uncomfortable questions that have to be faced. 1) Do we truly want to go back to the way things were in health insurance before ObamaCare? (for example, should pre-existing condition exclusions be allowed to return?) and, 2) If not, what would we keep and what would we remove from ObamaCare to "fix" it?
This is purely opinion, but, looking at the practical challenges involved and the fact that ObamaCare is already injected into the health insurance/healthcare system now, the path of least resistance will be the "Fix It" route. Whether it was a President Paul or Cruz (Trump might be another case altogether) I really can't see them announcing on TV that everyone's subsidies were being ended immediately and that they would be seeing their health insurance rates increase by hundreds of dollars per month and "good luck". It might not be political suicide but it would be one heck of a headache. Some sort of transitional approach coupled with new solutions would have to be devised to minimize further disruptions in people's lives and to the healthcare/health care financing industries.
So, as much as we may wish that ObamaCare had never arrived, it has. Being realistic, whether it is fixing it, replacing it or totally undoing it, none of those things will happen immediately and the most likely scenario is one where some aspects of the law are retained and others are jettisoned or modified over time. This means that the months and years ahead are almost guaranteed to be as chaotic and subject to rapid and repeated change as what we have experienced during the previous five years.
Answer provided by Marlin McKelvy, Chartered Benefits Consultant and president of Consumer Directed Benefit Solutions insurance agency with over 30 years of employee benefits experience serving the insurance needs of businesses and individuals in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi.
It appears that if it were to be repealed or altered in anyway, it would once again have to be as a result of an act of Congress. Provded that the action had enough support to avoid a future President's veto power, that Congressional action could change the law as we now know it.
Hope that helps.