EDITORIAL: Brutal CBO score suggests GOP’s Obamacare replacement needs a replacement
On Monday, the nonpartisan
The agency does indeed conclude that the bill would eventually result in individual market insurance premiums being 10 percent less on average than what would they would be under the current health reform law -- but not until 2026. Another critical caveat: Not everyone, particularly not older Americans, would see savings.
The nearer future would likely be more painful across the board if the bill passes. The CBO estimates that premiums would be 15 to 20 percent higher than under current law in 2018 and 2019. To be clear, those premium increases would be on top of what is already projected under Obamacare for individual market buyers -- the narrow slice of people who don't get coverage through employers or public programs such as
While premiums are projected to start declining on average after 2020, older Americans may still see bills rise. The Republican plan would reduce Obamacare tax credits that many older consumers rely on to buy insurance. At the same time, the
Those remaining in the individual market would eventually be younger and healthier, requiring less medical care and thus fewer premium dollars to cover costs. That transition is certainly one way to stabilize the individual market, which saw dramatic premium increases in
The CBO analysis of how many more people would lack coverage under the
Some of the uninsured would go without coverage by choice, since the
The
___
(c)2017 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Rep. Reed Issues Statement on Passage of American Health Care Act from Ways & Means
Medica sues state over public insurance contract
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News