The House of Representatives has scheduled a vote Wednesday to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the federal health care reform law passed last February. Although no one expects the House bill to be approved by the Senate or signed by the President, the vote this week marks the beginning of a new stage in the long assault on the ACA. Even though repeal is extremely unlikely during the next two years, it might be a possibility after that, and in the meantime the House might have the leverage to force significant changes in the health care reform law.
- “Insurance coverage for young adults. The Affordable Care Act requires insurers and employers that offer dependent coverage to allow parents to include children up to age 26 on their insurance plans….
- Free preventive care. Forty-two million seniors in Medicare and another roughly 41 million Americans with private insurance can now get free preventive health care services because the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to provide it….
- Protections for children and adults with serious illnesses. The Affordable Care Act bars insurance companies from denying coverage to children with pre-existing health conditions like cancer, autism, or diabetes…. Also, insurers can no longer cut off care for people with serious illnesses who need expensive medical care….
- More affordable prescriptions for seniors. The Affordable Care Act has begun to close the “doughnut hole,” the gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage that many seniors experience for drug costs beyond their first $2,840 but before additional coverage kicks in when their costs hit $6,448….
- Tax credits to help small businesses buy coverage for their employees. Starting last year, an estimated 4 million small businesses, covering as many as 16.6 million employees, became eligible for a tax credit under the Affordable Care Act to help offset the cost of buying health coverage.”
A summary by the Center for Children and Families (CCF) at Georgetown University adds a couple of other parts of the bill to the list of consumer protections now in place and at risk of repeal:
- You can’t be charged extra for seeking urgent care at an emergency room that is not in the insurance company’s provider network.
- Insurance companies have to spend more of your premiums on care, rather than advertising or CEO salaries.
Finally, it should be noted that repeal of the Affordable Care Act would have a huge effect on the federal deficit. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) , the ACA reduces the deficit by $143 billion over its first 10 years. A January 17 column by Paul Krugman, The War on Logic, critiques the claims made by House leaders who argue that the bill would actually increase the deficit.
