What is the status of ObamaCare, and why should I care?
Regardless of your position on the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as ObamaCare (“ACA”), you should neither panic nor rejoice just yet over the actions and inactions of the United States government regarding this healthcare insurance law. You have probably read about the various options, i.e., “repeal and replace,” “repeal and delay,” or simply “repeal” the ACA. What Congress is figuring out is that it is difficult to keep “good” provisions, e.g., the one related to “pre-existing conditions” (which over 70% of Americans like) but to do away with “bad” provisions, e.g., the individual mandate (which 70% of Americans do not like) and still keep an actuarial pool that doesn’t adversely affect insurance premiums in a substantial way. Conventional wisdom is that, without the individual mandate, premiums would increase, probably at a faster rate than is current under the ACA.
All other countries that have provide universal access to healthcare for its citizens figured out a long time ago that everyone needs to be covered in order to spread the cost of insurance over the total population. As someone who has studied the ways in which Western countries have instituted universal access to healthcare (e.g., Germany in the 1870’s) and who has lectured extensively on the ACA, I am not surprised at Congress’s inability to come up with a plan that would cover everyone, not require everyone to carry insurance, and keep insurance premiums down. Add in the fact that any new Congressional plan will affect over 20 million citizens who have already obtained health insurance through the ACA and you can see the possibility of throwing insurance markets into chaos.
Of course, there are lots of other ideas, e.g., more incentives for health savings accounts (“HSA’s”), altering the “minimum essential benefits” list, use of high risk pools, etc., and each of these has a different effect, both on the economics of healthcare and on the hotly-debated issue of universal access to healthcare.
But something is likely to happen in the next 3 months and my recommendations for the immediate future are as follows:
- If you have insurance, don’t drop it or let it lapse.
- If you lose employer-based insurance, be sure to review your COBRA options.
- If you lose your job and COBRA is not attractive, you have the option of utilizing the ACA marketplace because losing your job is “qualifying life event” that allows you to access the marketplace outside of the annual “open enrollment period.”
Please feel free to contact Scott Chase or Jennifer Snow at our firm if you have any questions about the ACA.
Jennifer Snow practices in the areas of health care law and business litigation. She is the author of numerous articles on health care law. Jennifer represents physicians and physician groups in health law matters, and she represents companies and executives in business litigation.
Ms. Snow has been named to the list of “Rising Stars” by Texas Monthly Magazine and Texas Super Lawyers (a Thomson Reuters service) in every year since 2014.
Scott Chase has practiced health law, corporate law, and intellectual property law for over 35 years. Mr. Chase is Board Certified in Health Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Scott’s primary practice focus is business transactions for physicians and healthcare facilities, as well as healthcare regulatory issues such as the Affordable Care Act, HIPAA and peer review. Mr. Chase handles general corporate matters and trademark/copyright issues for physicians and also for a variety of non-healthcare clients.
