EDITORIAL: Gutting Obamacare by executive order no way for Trump to lead
This isn't to heap praise on the ACA. While it deserves kudos for helping 20 million Americans get access to health care through expansions of Medicaid and subsidized insurance -- and has worked fairly well in
Americans would have been better served had President
But while Obamacare did sharply reduce the number of uninsured Americans, its flaws are plain -- starting with the fact that it's so easy for individuals who are required to buy health insurance to avoid the obligation. Given political resistance and the fact that the ACA needs heavy buy-in to keep premium costs down, Obamacare was always shaky.
This weakness is why Trump's executive order -- which allows for cheaper health plans not subject to Obamacare regulations -- could trigger an insurance "death spiral" in some states.
Having cheaper plans will help healthy people who have struggled with Obamacare's costs. But it inevitably will mean higher premiums for more expensive plans that provide ACA-level coverage -- coverage which many sick Americans sorely need. To keep down overall costs, ACA insurance pools need plenty of healthy enrollees. Trump's order makes that unlikely. Since many ACA-compliant policies have the triple burden of high premiums, high co-pays and high deductibles, healthier people are likely to flock to cheaper coverage.
And even though they save money, these individuals could be at risk as well. California Insurance Commissioner
Even more unfortunately, too many
Instead, the cruelty of this plan is fresh testament to the wisdom of starting from scratch in building a humane health-care system that takes care of more people for less money.
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