5 things to know about the GOP Obamacare replacement plan in Illinois

March 07--Over the next few weeks, politicians, health care leaders and activists in Illinois and across the country will undoubtedly battle -- line-by-line -- over House Republicans' new 123-page plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

As everyone gears up to fight, here are five quick things to know about the bill and what it might mean for Illinois:

1. It gets rid of the requirement to buy insurance.

The bill would repeal the requirement that all people buy health insurance or face fines. That requirement has long been unpopular among conservative Republicans, but has been described by Obamacare proponents as necessary in order to make sure enough healthy people buy insurance, to balance out costs for insurance companies.

Many credit that requirement, along with the Affordable Care Act's other provisions, with helping more people in Illinois gain health insurance. In 2013, before much of the act took effect, Illinois had 1.6 million uninsured residents. That number dipped to 900,000, or 7.1 percent of the state's population, in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

2. It would change how the government helps people pay for health insurance.

The bill would get rid of the tax credits that about three-fourths of Illinois residents who bought insurance on the health insurance exchange received last year. In 2016, the average consumer in Illinois received $237 a month in tax credits, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The amount of money a person qualified for depended on income. The new bill would instead give consumers tax credits based on their ages, ranging from $2,000 to $14,000 for families.

3. It would change Medicaid.

Right now, about 3 million Illinois residents -- 1 out of every 4 in the state -- are on Medicaid, a health insurance program for the poor and disabled, funded by state and federal dollars. Currently the state receives a federal match for the money it spends on Medicaid. The federal government picks up about half the cost of traditional Medicaid in Illinois.

The House GOP bill would no longer provide a federal match. Instead, it would give states limited amounts of dollars -- a move some say could save money but others fear could mean less coverage for people as states grapple with how to pay for the program.

The plan also would allow people who gained coverage through Medicaid expansion -- a part of the Affordable Care Act that extended Medicaid coverage to adults who didn't previously qualify -- to keep that coverage, at least through 2020. The federal government would then stop sending additional money to states to enroll new people in Medicaid expansion.

About 650,000 people in Illinois are insured under Medicaid expansion. Illinois is getting an estimated $14.1 billion in federal money this year to support traditional Medicaid and Medicaid expansion.

4. It would keep protections for those with pre-existing conditions and young adults.

The GOP bill would keep the Affordable Care Act's protections in place for people with pre-existing conditions looking to buy insurance. As of 2015, about 26 percent of Illinois residents had pre-existing conditions that could have affected their ability to get coverage if that protection weren't kept in place, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

The GOP plan would also, like the current law, allow kids to stay on their parents' health insurance until the age of 26.

5. It would remove federal funding for Planned Parenthood for a year.

In what's sure to be a major point of battle over the bill, the GOP plan would block federal payments to Planned Parenthood for a year.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois operates 16 centers that, among other things, provide cancer screenings, breast health care, contraceptive services and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Planned Parenthood of Illinois provided reproductive health care services to 60,000 people in 2015.

About 40 percent of Planned Parenthood of Illinois' patients are on Medicaid, meaning Planned Parenthood received federal money for their care, said Julie Lynn, a spokeswoman for the organization. Planned Parenthood of Illinois doesn't use federal money for abortions, though it does use federal dollars for other services.

Associated Press contributed.

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