What is the fate of the U.S. healthcare?
In the upcoming months, we can expect to hear what Donald Trump has in store for the Affordable Healthcare Act. During his campaigning, Trump made it known that a change was definitely part of his agenda as President. The policies that Trump is proposing will require extensive changes to the current U.S. regulatory and legal structure as well as to the tax law. The employer mandate and taxes on plans and insurers are what make the Affordable Health Care Act accessible, especially for those with lower incomes. A change in this structure makes funding unclear.
Appealing the Affordable Health Care act will not be an easy task as more than 20 million people have gained health insurance over the last three years due to the Affordable Health Care Act. In addition, folks on both sides on the political table like certain aspects of the Affordable Health Care Act, like the provisions regarding preexisting conditions, coverage for dependents up to age 26 and preventive care. Republicans have yet to propose an actual replacement for the Affordable Health Care Act which in turn could leave millions of people without coverage.
As of October, exchanges saw an increase of 22% on average. Utah’s average was 30%, because the rates in Utah have historically been lower than across the nation. In addition, several large insurers existed the exchanges.
Rest assured, any changes will take time to implement. The new President-elect will face many challenges repealing a policy that has insured millions.