For those of you looking for the “Cliffs Notes” version of the House proposal for ACA replacement, an article at Vox (link below) is a great start.
I’m still reading through the draft legislation, but a few important points:
- How does this plan impact Medicaid expansion in Ohio? (Answer: freezes expansion funding and enrollment in Ohio after 2019…Portman has already indicated non-support because this reason);
- How does this impact Ohio’s uninsured rate: (Answer: not clear; appears that Medicaid expansion freeze will certainly increase the number of uninsured);
- How does this impact premium price increases and affordability? (Answer: not clear, but nothing that I’ve read so far seems to really get at the affordability issue by incentivizing more insurers to enter individual markets, thereby increasing competition and lowering/stabilizing premium prices);
- How does this impact Planned Parenthood? (Answer: current draft includes language to “defund” PP through prohibiting Medicaid reimbursement for women’s health services and prohibiting Title X grant funding for family planning services).
