This is what we are reading about the election of Donald Trump and the GOP led congress. This is all pretty new information, but stay tuned, we should know more in the coming weeks.
The Washington Post reports the presidential election of Donald Trump and continued control of the Congress by Republicans “has imperiled the ACA’s expansive reach, putting at risk the insurance more than 20 million Americans have gained.” While Republicans in the Senate “will remain short of the 60 votes needed for a full repeal,” the Congress has made use of the “reconciliation process — requiring just 50 votes — to send a bill undoing major ACA elements to the White House.” While President Obama vetoed the bill, a President Trump would be expected to sign it.
The New York Times reports Republicans “may finally get their chance to undo huge, consequential parts” of the ACA, and “if they succeed, about 22 million fewer Americans would have health insurance,” according to the CBO. Last year’s “Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015,” is suggested as a blueprint for Congress to follow next year. The Times points out that there are elements of the ACA that cannot be repealed in that way including “reforms to the Medicare program, a provision that requires insurers to cover young adults on their parents’ policies, and requirements that health insurers sell policies to anyone regardless of their health history.” The Times says that without 60 votes, Republicans may be able to repeal important elements of the ACA, “but it may not be able to replace them.”
The Wall Street Journal reports both Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell identified repealing and replacing the ACA as a top priority, though it is not expected to be immediate. Still, a President Trump could take some executive actions before the Congress acts. The Obama Administration, according to the Journal, may adopt regulations making the repeal of the ACA more difficult.
Bloomberg Politics reports an attempt to repeal the ACA could come as soon as January. It quotes a number of Republican representatives saying that Trump will work closely with the Congress and has generally accepted Speaker Paul Ryan’s agenda. Meanwhile an unnamed Democratic aide said that Democratic Senators will fight the Trump and Republican agenda.
Modern Healthcare reports that despite Trump’s campaign “promises to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion might survive, at least in some form.” Officials in “some states that expanded eligibility under the law say they will work to preserve coverage levels,” while “Medicaid officials in other states said it’s simply too early to speculate what action they’ll take since the ACA remains the law of the land.”