EDITORIAL: Obamacare changes will be important step

Jan. 03--The Affordable Care Act, what most of us know as Obamacare, is squarely in the sights of Republicans in both houses of Congress this year as legislators gets moving on the 2017 session of the 115th Congress.

That is nothing new. Republicans have decried what they see as shortfalls in the law since it passed and have challenged it since it began.

With the Trump administration readying to take the reins in the executive branch, the president-elect has already promised to repeal the law.

Helping to lead the repeal and replace charge in the Senate is Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., who has a home in Glynn County.

"You didn't need the federal government taking over the whole health care industry, fundamentally, which is what Obamacare did," Perdue told The News last week when he was in town.

He is right. While universal health coverage for everyone is a noble idea, the law as it is structured has not worked out as it was billed. Rather than health insurance premiums becoming more affordable because more people are covered, for many, premiums are going in the opposite direction. For folks who did not qualify for subsidized plans because of their income levels but who are also not covered through employee-sponsored plans, increases in premiums this year have been big. In some cases, people in Georgia are looking at premiums higher than $1,000 a month. Predictions are that monthly premiums will rise by about 25 percent this year.

It is clear there are some major changes that need to be made to the law. If the idea was to keep health care costs reasonable and from jumping too high, it has not been effective.

It is estimated about 13.8 million people are expected to choose plans through the state exchanges set up by the law during the current enrollment period. Many of them will have to change plans, dropping certain coverages they may need, to keep costs somewhat similar.

Republicans have said certain aspects of the law, like allowing children to remain on their parents' plans until they 26 years old and not allowing people to be denied coverage because of preexisting conditions, will not change. Those seem like reasonable things to keep.

But if the law as it is now means higher health insurance costs for everyone, something has to change.

Perdue noted last week that Republicans must move quickly and that the transition process will ensure people don't lose their insurance. He also said he wants to be able to tell people what is coming.

He is right about that too. Changes will not happen quickly and will likely face many challenges. Republicans in Congress must keep this process transparent and clear so we all know what to expect.

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