Senate Republicans say they would like Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to appoint a successor to the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who, unlike McCain, would support GOP legislation to repeal ObamaCare.
Ten GOP senators this week introduced legislation that they say would protect ObamaCare provisions for people with pre-existing conditions.
The bill, introduced on Thursday, comes as congressional Democrats try to tie Republicans to the Trump administration’s decision not to defend some ObamaCare provisions in a federal lawsuit filed by red states.
The House recently passed two bills (H.R. 6199 and H.R. 6311) that would make a number of modifications to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). While most of the provisions contained in these bills would increase the usefulness of HSAs to consumers, their cumulative effect on costs wouldn’t be noticeable in the context of the immense U.S. health sector. HSAs won’t reach their full potential until more is done to promote vigorous price competition among those supplying services to HSA enrollees.
A new study argues that Congress’ repeal of the individual mandate and a Trump administration rule that would expand the sale and renewal of short-term policies will have a devastating effect on 2019 premiums.But a comparison of the “sabotage” estimates with preliminary 2019 rate filings in cities in 17 states compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation suggests they vastly overestimated the effects of these policy changes on premiums.
Many Republicans assume their party will take another stab at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act if the midterm elections go their way, even though GOP candidates aren’t making a big deal about it on the campaign trail.
Telemedicine is making better care, quicker care and life-saving care available to more patients every day. Thanks to technological breakthroughs, we don’t need to travel to a doctor’s office or a hospital for every medical need. We can get much of our care right in our own home.
Since they were created in 2004, tax-advantaged Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) have become a successful tool toward promoting patient choice in health care. HSAs are utilized in combination with a high deductible health plan and have proven to be a free-market health-care proposal that does not rely on mandates or cash subsidies. Today, 25 million American families and individuals save and spend their own money tax free on a variety of healthcare expenses — more than double the number of individuals that use ObamaCare exchanges.
The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee has advanced 11 bills, including three introduced by U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), to expand access to Health Savings Accounts (HSA), which currently provide healthcare coverage to more than 25 million Americans.
The long-anticipated surge of retiring baby boomers is upon us. The Medicare trustees recently estimated that Medicare Part A (the hospital insurance trust fund) will go bankrupt in 2026, only eight years from now—and three years sooner than they predicted in last year’s report. Consumer decisions and behavior provide important clues about where policymakers can go from here. For decades the debate in Washington has centered on benefit expansion, benefit reduction, or tax increases. In the real world, consumers are offering a fourth way to preserve Medicare: choice and competition.
House Republicans are trying to blunt Democratic attacks over rising Obamacare premiums, an issue that’s poised to play a key role in the November midterm elections. “At least we’re taking some action, and rightfully so, because to do nothing I think is just, one, it’s not the right thing to do,” said Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which advanced many of the health care bills last week. “And second, politically to do nothing is not a [good idea].” The bills slated for votes in the House next week include measures expanding HSAs. Sources say other measures include a repeal of Obamacare’s medical device tax and a delay of the health insurance tax, which some members of both parties have criticized for driving up premiums.
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