The Affordable Care Act’s Little-Noticed Success: Cutting the Uninsured Rate October 12, 2016 Perspective This column was published as a Wall Street Journal Think Tank column on October 12, 2016. Donald Trump derided the Affordable Care Act in the second presidential debate as a “total disaster.” One inarguable success of the 2010 health-care law has been to drive the rate of uninsured Americans to a historic low.…
Why the Key Indicators to Watch on Health-Care Marketplaces Come in 2017 October 26, 2016 Perspective In this Wall Street Journal Think Tank column, Drew Altman discusses why the real moment of truth in assessing the stability of the Affordable Care Act’s health care Marketplaces may come next spring.
The Bigger Story, and Agenda, Behind GOP Changes to Obamacare, Medicare and Medicaid November 21, 2016 Perspective This column was published as a Wall Street Journal Think Tank column on November 21, 2016. Early media coverage of the Republican health-care agenda has concentrated on plans to repeal and then replace the Affordable Care Act. The larger story is GOP preparations for a health policy trifecta: to fundamentally change the…
How the Republican Health Agenda Could Play Out December 2, 2016 Perspective In this Wall Street Journal Think Tank column Drew Altman discusses how Republicans will assume ownership of health care’s policy and political problems as they assume control, and how that may affect their plans for the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid and Medicare.
Preexisting Conditions and Republican Plans to Replace Obamacare December 9, 2016 Perspective In this Wall Street Journal Think Tank column, Drew Altman discusses new data highlighting why pre-exisitng conditions could be a flashpoint issue in the Affordable Care Act repeal and replace debate.
Repeal of Obamacare Could Cause the ‘Death Spiral’ Critics Warned About December 12, 2016 Perspective Originally published in The Los Angeles Times, this perspective examines the potential implications for the individual market if key parts of the Affordable Care Act were repealed without a replacement plan.
The Health Care Plan Trump Voters Really Want January 5, 2017 Perspective In a New York Times op-ed, Drew Altman draws on observations from focus groups in rust belt states of people in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces who voted for President-elect Trump and say they may not like their coverage under the ACA but could like Republican replacement plans even less.
Obamacare Debate: Where GOP Governors Stand on Repeal and Replace January 10, 2017 Perspective As congress prepares to vote on repeal of the Affordable Care Act, Drew Altman discusses whether Republican governors and congressional Republicans will be at odds over key issues when it comes to repealing and replacing the law in this Wall Street Journal Think Tank column.
High-Risk Pools as Fallback for High-Cost Patients Require New Rules January 23, 2017 Perspective In this Wall Street Journal Think Tank column, Drew Altman examines how Republicans would “split the risk pools” between the healthier and the sick in their Affordable Care Act replacement plans, using state high risk pools as a fallback for higher cost patients, and examines the steps that would be necessary to make them effective based on prior experience in the states.
JAMA Forum: What Might an ACA Replacement Plan Look Like? January 24, 2017 Perspective Larry Levitt’s January 2017 post explains the logistics of a “repeal and delay” approach to the Affordable Care Act, and outlines key elements of a proposed replacement plan from Rep. Tom Price, who is President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. The post is now available at The JAMA Forum.