Republicans seem determined to destroy the Affordable Care Actbut what will go in its place? It’s a question the party has struggled to answer since the ACA passed. Remember Trump’s first-term promise to “repeal and replace” Obamacare Did that never come to fruition?
Since the government shut down a month ago, the party has refused to publicly discuss a plan, even as ACA subsidies expire at the end of the year, forcing Americans to pay astronomically higher monthly premiums. In New Jersey, some premiums will rise by more than 175 percent. The cousins of a family peak 300 percent. Overall, premiums are expected to increase by an average of 26 percent for a typical ACA plan, according to a recent study. KFF Analysis revealed.
Republicans’ so-called health care plans are so secret, in fact, that they won’t share them with members of their own party. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenewho called the speaker of the House Michael Johnson last week for failing to reveal the party’s plans during a GOP conference call, he said during an appearance on Friday Real Time with Bill Maher: “Mike Johnson, for a month now, has not been able to give me a single political idea.”
She said at another point during the program: “I’m waiting for the [healthcare] plan. “I haven’t seen it yet.”
(In true MTG style, she also accepted believe that aliens are space demons, saying, “That’s what makes sense in my worldview.”)
In response to Greene’s criticism of fox news sundayJohnson said: “I don’t know what to say about that. That’s absurd. Obviously, we’re not going to be on a conference call explaining all of our plans and strategies for health reform because they were leaked in real time, literally… They’re supposed to be private, but they’re not.”
Johnson then claimed that Greene can visit his office “any day at any time” and that he will “explain everything to her.” He then referenced a 2019 Republican Study Committee. plan which proposed changes in health care, including the restoration of high-risk groups.
Sen. john kennedy raised the idea of high-risk groups in an interview on CNN last week.
“There are a number of ideas being discussed around association health plans,” the Republican senator from Louisiana said, adding, “bring back high-risk groups, which have been banned under the Affordable Care Act.”
These types of groups existed before the ACA banned them and were plagued with problems. Premiums in these groups were often twice what lower-risk people paid, they often excluded coverage for pre-existing conditions for the first 6 to 12 months, many had a lifetime coverage limit, and numerous states restricted the number of people who could join their group. according KFF.
Bringing back high-risk groups will only bring back the problems they caused.
Perhaps Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew summed up the state of the party’s plans best: “It’s politically stupid. It doesn’t make sense to not come up with any plan related to health care… The plan is to come up with something better.”
So the plan is to have a plan…eventually. But, Van Drew cautioned, don’t expect to see that plan anytime soon.
“It will take a good part of the year to have something substantial and real that works,” he said.
Meanwhile, without a shutdown resolution that includes a continuation of ACA subsidies, millions of Americans will suffer astronomically higher premiums. All because Republicans are determined to destroy Obamacare, along with other Democratic policy initiatives. Meanwhile, they continue having fun. convenient government health benefits.
As the president put it last month: “We are close programs “Those are Democratic programs that we opposed…and in many cases they will never come back.”
