It’s Not Obamacare Anymore. It’s Our National Health-Care System. July 29, 2017 Perspective In this Washington Post op-ed, Drew Altman and Larry Levitt discuss why the latest Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act failed and what it will take for congress and the administration to address the next challenge, providing long-term stability to the ACA marketplaces.
JAMA Forum: Has Obamacare Become Trumpcare? August 8, 2017 Perspective With the effort to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act seemingly on hold or even dead, Larry Levitt discusses what the Trump administration could do to make the ACA successful – including providing clarity around individual mandate enforcement and cost-sharing reduction payments; maintaining outreach and consumer assistance; and encouraging insurers to participate in the individual insurance marketplaces. The post is now available at The JAMA Forum.
The ACA Stability “Crisis” In Perspective August 10, 2017 Perspective In this column for Axios, Drew Altman presents new data analysis showing how many people are impacted by premium increases in the non-group market, and discusses the implications.
How to Keep ACA Stabilization Narrow August 31, 2017 Perspective In this column for Axios, Drew Altman discusses the main challenges for members and media coverage as members take up the issue of stabilization of the Affordable Care Act.
How Single Payer Helps Republicans Change the Subject September 14, 2017 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman analyzes the political pros and cons of single payer for Democrats and whether it will shift the focus from the Republicans’ failed effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act to the Democrats new sweeping plan.
Keeping the Alexander-Murray Health Care Bill in Context October 23, 2017 Perspective This Drew Altman Axios column describes the scale of the problems in the ACA marketplaces and the public’s confusion about whether they are impacted. He says that the news media, experts and policy makers can do more to put the marketplace problems and fixes in context as debate evolves.
How the Elections Could Put the Brakes on Anti-ACA Plans November 10, 2017 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman examines the role of health care in Virginia’s elections and the referendum on Medicaid expansion in Maine. His assessment: the elections and the referendum will have a bigger impact on upcoming policy debates about cutting Medicaid to pay for tax cuts, and state interest in Medicaid expansion, than on upcoming elections.
JAMA Forum: The Health Care Law that Continues to Escape Death November 20, 2017 Perspective In this November 2017 post for The JAMA Forum, Larry Levitt reviews the status of the Affordable Care Act following actions by the Trump administration widely perceived as designed to undermine the marketplaces. Despite assertions to the contrary, Levitt finds, “at least for now, the ACA seems very much alive.”
ACA Mandate Repeal May Be Less Popular Than GOP Thinks December 5, 2017 Perspective In this Axios column, Drew Altman discusses how public opinion seems to flip on eliminating the individual mandate as part of the tax legislation, from for it to against, when the public considers the consequences.
The Trump Administration’s Hidden Attacks on the Affordable Care Act January 5, 2018 Perspective In a Washington Post op-ed, “The Trump administration’s hidden attacks on the Affordable Care Act,” Larry Levitt discusses the latest proposed regulations by the Trump administration to expand association health plans: changes that could wound the ACA insurance marketplace, but are unlikely to make it collapse.