The Senate recently released the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (BCRA), its version of a bill designed to make significant changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Here are the key takeaways.1. Senate Bill Very Similar to House BillLike the American Health Care Act (AHCA) that the House passed in May, much of the BCRA is focused on reductions in federal Medicaid spending and on a repeal (or delay) of most taxes included in the ACA. Both bills eliminate the individual and employer “mandate” and make changes to the small group and individual health insurance markets. Like the AHCA, the BCRA leaves many other existing ACA insurance rules in place.
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From Professor Jost's post on Health Affairs Blog, reprinted with permission:On May 4, 2017 the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA) by a near party-line vote of 217 to 213. The AHCA was first introduced in the House on March 6, 2017, in response to the long-standing promise by Republican members of Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act.The AHCA, however, does not repeal the ACA. It does not touch the provisions of six of the ACA’s ten titles dealing with Medicare payment, quality, and care delivery reforms; fraud and abuse; workforce reform; biosimilars; prevention; or many other issues. The original AHCA did not even address many of the ACA’s core insurance reforms. It did not, for example, modify the ACA’s requirements that health plans cover preexisting conditions; guarantee availability and renewability of coverage; cover adult children up to age 26; and cap out-of-pocket expenditures.
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Excerpt from Professor Jost's post on Health Affairs Blog:On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as President of the United States. True to his word, on his first day in office he issued an executive order addressing the Affordable Care Act. It may not be, however, all that his supporters expected. On the foreign policy side, where the President’s authority is very broad, executive orders can address the minutiae of relationships with particular countries. On the domestic side, however, where the president’s power is subject to more constraints, executive orders are used for setting broad policy directions. They cannot be used to change laws or regulations, and are not appropriate for establishing detailed guidance addressing specific issues.Not surprisingly, therefore, President Trump’s Executive Order sets a broad policy direction with respect to the ACA.
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For easy reference, here are some charts of useful limits, thresholds and other handy figures you may need for 2018. Other years: 2017 | 2019
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