JAMA Forum: Is the Affordable Care Act Imploding? April 17, 2017 Perspective In this April 2017 post, Larry Levitt discusses the current status of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces, and explains how the Trump administration’s choices — including whether to continue cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers — could influence stability of the marketplaces going forward. The post is now available at The JAMA Forum.
A Warning From the Polls About Letting Obamacare “Explode” April 7, 2017 Perspective In this column for Axios, Drew Altman sees a warning for the Trump administration and Republicans in the latest Kaiser Tracking Poll: the more they do to undermine the Affordable Care Act marketplaces the more the public is likely to hold them, and not the Democrats, accountable for the problems with the law.
Don’t Expect Medicaid Work Requirements to Make a Big Difference April 3, 2017 Perspective Under the Trump Administration, some Republican governors may look to move their Medicaid programs in a more conservative direction. In his latest column for Axios, Drew Altman discusses the arguments about Medicaid “work requirements” and why few people are likely to be affected by them in practice.
Why Deductibles Would Rise Under the GOP Health Care Plan March 22, 2017 Perspective This inaugural Drew Altman column for Axios examines how the GOP House bill would impact deductibles for people who buy insurance in the non-group market. A KFF analysis for the column shows deductibles in a typical non-group plan would be about $1550 higher under the American Health Care Act compared to the Affordable Care Act.
The Republican Health-care Plan the Country Isn’t Debating February 9, 2017 Perspective In this Washington Post op-ed, Drew Altman discusses how Republicans’ ideas to change Medicaid and Medicare and repeal the Affordable Care Act would fundamentally change the federal role in health, calling it: the biggest change in health we are NOT debating.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Understanding Who Opioid Users Are Underscores Challenges December 19, 2016 Perspective The 21st Century Cures Act provided a billion dollars in new funding for opioid prevention and treatment. In this Wall Street Journal Think Tank column, Drew Altman looks at the challenges based on a new Kaiser-Washington Post survey of long term opioid users.