House Republicans: Community rating waivers need to remain in Senate’s ACA replacement
Conservatives in the House who had voted for the American Health Care Act (AHCA) in May are already displeased about rumored changes to the bill being considered by Senate Republicans.
Of particular interest is whether states could waive the ACA’s community rating provision. Included in the House bill, it was criticized for allowing the return of medical underwriting to individual policies, which could potentially price people with pre-existing conditions out of the market. The more moderate Senate may remove that waiver ability from their version of the Affordable Care Act replacement plan.
“It won’t pass the House,” Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, told the Independent Journal Review. “If we can’t give the states flexibility, I won’t support it.”
Differences between the House and Senate Republican caucuses have the potential to kill the AHCA. Senate leaders reportedly aim to pass their version of the AHCA by the end of June, leaving one month before the August recess to settle those differences in a conference committee.
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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.