Are Republicans in Congress conceding the benefits of the ACA?

Great Debates
1

Here’s a link from the Washington Examiner, and here from TPM (riffing on the other link). They cite multiple Republicans in Congress and in Trump’s incoming team saying that they don’t intend for anyone to lose their insurance when they repeal/replace the ACA.

If this goes through – if the Republicans and Trump push through a repeal and/or replacement of the ACA that maintains coverage for everyone who gained it under the ACA (millions of people), then this strikes me as an enormous progressive political victory – the more conservative political party will have just put into action a plan that assumes that the government should help people have health insurance, even when they couldn’t afford it (or get it at all, if they had pre-existing conditions) without government assistance.

So will this happen, or will they actually just repeal the ACA without maintaining coverage for these millions?

2

The Republicans probably simply mean that the insurance companies can’t cancel coverage–but the prices without subsidies will be so high that consumers will drop coverage because they can’t afford it.

3

I think it’s just their version of “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan”

4

But do they want that? That would mean losses for the insurance industry, and the Republicans are accused of wanting to do what is best for those companies.

5

Why would it mean losses for the insurance companies? If the consumer subscribes they make a profit; it the consumer drops coverage they have neither profits nor losses from that customer.

6

I think the GOP is learning that opposing ACA is easy in theory but hard in practicality. Already Rand Paul is clearing his throat in opposition; a lot of his constituents could be worse off if ACA gets cancelled with no replacement in place.