State analysis predicts a rough road for Alaska under Graham-Cassidy health care legislation
The
In an analysis by
Central to the change is that the bill will remove all federal subsidies for the individual marketplace and Medicaid expansion and replace them with a steadily declining block grant, which states can distribute how they like.
"By 2026,
The state does get some special treatment at the start.
There is a pot of extra federal funding for five low-density states, including
But that wouldn't last, and the federal funding would fall precipitously after that, according to DHSS. Even with the funding boosts, the state would lose
There is an out, through 2026.
Earlier this week,
"So here I am, I've gone out on point saying when we talked about repealing and replacing the (Affordable Care Act), we never talked about structural reform to Medicaid. So now we've jumped from 'repeal and replace' to structural reform of Medicaid. But maybe it won't be for us, if we lose under this proposal," she said.
But after 2026, the numbers are more dire for
"
The criteria for
By eliminating the requirement that people buy insurance, there is likely to be lower enrollment, and fewer healthy people in the market -- meaning higher premium costs, the report said.
The state could also face "significant administrative burdens" in the face of lessened federal efforts, the report said. And because the bill eliminates tax credits, the state would likely have to overhaul its reinsurance program, which is expected to drive down premium prices in 2018 by 25 percent, the report said.
The state would have the ability to waive market rules that require certain levels of coverage in the individual market, and "the prohibition against charging higher rates for people with pre-existing conditions." But even "if
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