What Might Change With Health Insurance and a New President?
The election is over. Donald Trump is the President-Elect of the United States of America. Whether you’re a fan of The Donald or you despise him and his breed of politics, you’ll want to pay attention to coming health insurance changes due to his presidency.
What Could a Trump Presidency Mean For Health Insurance?
Before we throw out too many hypotheticals, it’s important to know a few things. First, anything Trump wants to do regarding our health care system will likely take an Act of Congress.
Here’s what may change with health insurance and our new President:
- It Won’t Last
Trump is committed to “repealing and replacing” the Affordable Care Act, also known as the ACA or Obamacare. While it’s highly unlikely the ACA will continue in its current form, changes may not be as easy as Trump and the Republican Congress want you to believe.
- A Huge Change
The ACA has been incorporated into nearly every aspect of our healthcare system. It won’t be a small change to completely revoke or repeal Obamacare. While getting rid of Obamacare sounded great to some Republicans, it certainly won’t be as easy as President-Elect Trump had hoped. Taking away a government benefits program without replacing it is nearly impossible.
- A Probable Scenario
Most anticipate that the ACA will see substantial changes throughout Trump’s presidency. While we won’t speculate on the exact changes that could be seen, most expect a special session of Congress will be needed and a lot of time will be allotted towards finding a solution. Hopefully, all will be focused on increasing the efficiency of our healthcare system.
- Age Provisions
While Trump will look to change Obamacare, certain provisions will stay in place. Trump has publicly stated his support of the parents’ policy age requirements found in the ACA. Individuals under the age of 26 should have no issue staying on their parents’ insurance coverage under the new administration.
- More Power For States
Some believe Trump will change the current ACA to allow more flexibility for the states. This would allow a state to adopt provisions and funding under the ACA to their specific needs.
- Minor Changes Here & There
Other upcoming health insurance changes include actions on a number of expiring provisions. Medicare extenders, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Cadillac Tax are all on the docket for the new administration. It’ll be interesting to see the changes surrounding these key issues.
While many have speculated doom and gloom for Obamacare after President Trump was elected, it’s unlikely to be that bad. Change to the current ACA is indeed coming, but no one knows how vast the new health care reform will be.
