ACA repeal may be more like a ‘repair’
The rhetoric on healthcare reform is changing, as Republican majorities in Congress are beginning to shift away from fully eliminating the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to modifying it.
As The Hill reports, the alteration in tone may be a sign of the complexity of reshaping the law, which contains both popular provisions (banning insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions) and unpopular ones (the individual mandate).
“I think it is more accurate to say repair Obamacare because, for example, in the reconciliation procedure that we have in the Senate, we can't repeal all of Obamacare,” said U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, chairman of the Senate’s health committee. “Obamacare wasn't passed by reconciliation, it can't be repealed by reconciliation. So we can repair the individual market, which is a good place to start.”
But not every Republican is on board with that approach.
“I’m hearing a lot of members say that they want Obamacare-lite,” said Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho. “That’s not what we promised the American people.”
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.