Congressional Republicans have started their planned repeal of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) with the passage of bills along party lines relating to funding of the program.
After initially planning to “repeal and delay” a replacement, they now seem to favor waiting to pass a repeal bill until they have a replacement option. That is certainly a better way of doing things, as that will not pull the rug out from under more than 20 million people currently covered by the ACA.
But replacement plans can be quite varied in scope. Here is a minimum set of questions that must govern any new program:
• Will insurance companies be allowed to deny insurance or charge higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions?
• Will insurers be allowed to set yearly and lifetime limits on benefits?
• Will women be charged higher premiums for equal coverage, and will preventive health screenings, maternity care, breastfeeding support and contraception no longer be covered?
• Will changes in employment or provider endanger insurance cost or coverage?
• Will insurers be able to cancel coverage once an illness is discovered?
• Will one’s medical history be part of the application process?
Under current ACA rules, the answer to all of these questions is an emphatic “no.”
The same must be true of any replacement plan.
These questions are the minimal benchmark against which every “replacement option” needs to be judged. The ACA has not only provided insurability to millions who previously could not afford coverage, but it has set a standard for all health insurance plans.
As we move forward, we must insist that any plan that replaces the Affordable Care Act provides for a valid health care safety net with no holes that would allow insurance companies to resume their bad practices from the past.
Please call your congressman and senators, and urge them to preserve the many positive elements in the Affordable Care Act.
KIM JORGENSEN GANE
St. Joseph