Nathaniel Weixel of The Hill writes:
The Trump administration’s decision to end payments to insurers meant to help low-income people afford their insurance has set off a battle in the courts and new fears about the possible collapse of former President Obama’s health-care law.
Ending the payments is the most dramatic step taken to date by President Trump, who has been frustrated with the GOP Congress’s inability to repeal the law.
Trump has talked about allowing ObamaCare to implode, and his critics believe he is pushing that along with his actions. Here’s what ending the payments will mean, both for the law itself and for the people who use it to purchase health insurance.
- Ending the payments won't kill ObamaCare [...]
- Premiums, however, could rise [...]
- Insurers could leave the marketplaces [...]
- There could be lawsuits from insurers [...]
- President risks getting blamed for ‘Trumpcare’ [...]
I can confirm Nathaniel's points #1, 2, 3, & 4. My family's current 2017 Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka ObamaCare) plan from Anthem BlueCross will not be available next year. Back in August Anthem announced it would be pulling out of the ACA market in my area of California because "the market for these plans has become unstable. And with federal rules and guidance changing, it’s no longer possible for us to offer some of those plans."
But the ACA is still an option for my family. One plan with our desired level of coverage remains, but it will cost us $3,520 (27%) more than our current plan.
I can afford this increased cost, but many families will not. I reckon that more than of few of them will be blaming Trump.
