Trumpcare Zombie
In what’s becoming known as the “Trumpcare Zombie,” all of the conversations on Capitol Hill continue about how Republicans can hit the reset button and still pass a ACA repeal/replace bill. But GOP leaders appear determined to do that by the end of April, notwithstanding many doubters. It is clear, however, that it will be exceptionally difficult for congressional leaders to keep the government funded or to achieve tax reform in the absence of a health care overhaul passing the House. Whether or not “tweaks” can be made to the legislation that would attract both moderate detractors and Freedom Caucus hardliners is very much in doubt, and many members of the Senate seem as though they’d just as soon not have a bill come over their way from the House.
More attention, meanwhile, is gathering on the Trump Administration’s administrative actions or non-actions to preserve the law and keep insurers in the game. See Politico’s Four Things Trump Could Do Right Now To Fix Obamacare.
View also Axios’ lead story: How seriously should you take House Republicans’ talk yesterday that they’re not giving up on Obamacare repeal?
Clown Car, or Simple Growing Pains?
Nothing is at all clear or even close to certain, but Republicans are going to take another stab at passing a major ACA reform bill. How much of it will mirror the one that tanked last Friday?
Comprehensive tax reform, which was already an incredibly complicated effort with Republicans all over the map, just got much harder – because status quo on Obamacare means a trillion dollars more spending in the next decade. This will create a massive amount of pressure and threatens another government shutdown when funding runs dry at the end of April, again, with no Democrat in sight to lend a helping hand.
We remain very concerned—alarmed even—that taxation of employer-provided group health insurance benefits could still be in play, particularly if the tax and ACA packages morph into one another. How does it all play out?
Click here for insights and observations from our government affairs team.
Joel Kopperud, Vice President, Government Affairs:
- How the Attacks on Trump Reinforce His Strategy (Harvard Business Review)
Jenn Urso, Vice President, Strategic Reources:
- Pharmacy benefit managers skip insurers in new direct-to-consumer deals (Modern Healthcare)
Michael Kanick, Digital Strategist: