Healthcare economist Stuart Butler, Ph.D., a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, speculates in an article for the Journal of American Medical Association Forum about what might happen to the Affordable Care Act after the election. Among the possible changes:
- Loosening restrictions of age-related premium laws. Insurers currently cannot sell nongroup coverage to people ages 64 or older for more than three times the cost of the same coverage sold to a 21-year-old. Higher premiums for young people resulting from this rule have scared young, healthier people from getting insurance — adverse selection.
- Increasing use of Section 1332 of the ACA. Republicans see this statute as an “exit ramp” to sidestep many ACA requirements with a privatized Medicaid system while Democrats could use it as a way to move to a public option.
- Diluting or repealing the Cadillac tax.
To read Mr. Butler’s article, please hit this link.
