This video reviews the presidential election results and the likely legislative consequences to follow on the future of healthcare and the ACA. Sarah Friend of The Partners Group provides a quick overview of our Nov. 2016 Webinar featuring your boots on the ground in Washington, The Council’s Government Affairs Team, Joel Wood and Joel Kopperud, who recapped the November 8th election, including the Presidential and key House and Senate races.
Overview Video:
Presentation:
Key Messages from this Webinar include:
- A summary of President Elect Trump’s stated positions on healthcare
- The possible paths to repeal
- What a replacement plan might look like
- The potential timeline for change
- And what Employers should do now
Please contact The Partners Group with any additional questions you may have: Click here or call 800-722-6339.
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President Elect Trump’s Policy Position on Healthcare* which Includes…
- Requests on Congress to act immediately when he takes office to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act
- Repeal Individual Mandate
- Modify existing laws to allow the sale of health insurance across state lines
- Allow people to deduct premiums for individual health insurance plans
- Expand the tax benefits of Health Savings Accounts
- Require price transparency
- Block grant Medicaid to the states
- Pharmaceutical reforms to allow consumers to access imported drugs from overseas
*Taken from President Elect Trump’s Website
One Month After the Election:
- Americans continue to be divided along partisan lines over the future of the Affordable Care Act
- Newly released Kaiser Family Foundation Poll finds–
- Only 26% of American’s support a complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
The Possible Paths to Repeal:
Under republican control of both chambers, what will Congress do when President Trump takes office in January?
- The truth is, we don’t yet know. We likely won’t know until we actually see it play out in DC beginning in January.
- But there is a lot of speculation coming out of DC about what will likely happen.
- Republicans will not have the required 60 vote super majority to avoid a likely Democratic filibuster against any repeal effort.
- A tactic that may be used to repeal parts of the law and avoid the threat of a filibuster with just a simple majority is Budget Reconciliation
- Reconciliation allows for expedited consideration of certain tax, spending, and debt limit legislation. In the Senate, reconciliation bills aren’t subject to filibuster and the scope of amendments is limited, giving this process real advantages for enacting controversial budget and tax measures.
- Using budget reconciliation to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, means provisions such as…
- The individual mandate
- The employer mandate
- Cadillac Tax
- Medicaid expansion
- Most vulnerable to repeal
- This leaves the more popular market reform provisions possibly intact like coverage to age 26 for dependents, full coverage for preventive care, and the rules that don’t allow lifetime limits or coverage limitations on pre-existing health conditions
What will replace Repealed Provisions of the Affordable Care Act?
- As we speak, there is a tremendous amount of discussion about what would replace repealed provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
- To get the most likely view of what a replacement plan might look like, there are three plans to understand:
- Orrin Hatch’s plan
- Paul Ryan’s plan
- Newly appointed HHS Leader Tom Price
Replacement Plan:
- Different plans
- Each build on the current employer sponsored system
- Directionally align to promote consumerism and marketplace competition
- The Partners Group will continue to stay close to the conversations happening in Washington DC and share meaningful and relevant news with you as a replacement plan begins to take shape.
What is the Timeline?
- The repeal of mandates may come quick
- Replacement plan may take longer
- Implementation of a replacement plan could take years
- ACA passed in 2010 with major provisions taking effect nearly four years later
- We will continue to keep you informed as meaningful information is made available. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
In the Meantime, What Should Employers Do?
- For now, stay aware of what is likely but act on what is known
- Ways to stay informed include signing up for our newsletter.
- Attend The Partners Group hosted webinars.
- And staying well connected to your team at The Partners Group
- For now, ACA remains law, but as things change you can count on us to keep you well informed.
- If you have any questions about how potential changes of the Affordable Care Act impact your employer sponsored plan, please let us know.
- If you’re not a client, simply contact us. We look forward to being a resource to your business.
