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ACA Repeal and Replace: Take 2?

One thing Republicans and Democrats agree on is that the individual market is definitely in need of major repair, otherwise insurers will not re-engage in it.

After the vote on the American Healthcare Act (AHCA) fell apart last week, the GOP’s Freedom Caucus took most of the blame. Caucus members viewed the AHCA as ACA-lite, objecting to the tax credits and fearing the bill would not do enough to hold down healthcare costs.

But GOP leaders and President Trump have put significant pressure on Freedom Caucus members over the last week, and cracks began appearing fairly soon after the bill’s demise. One Caucus member withdrew from the group entirely, and there are reports that at least two other members are wavering in their support of the Caucus’s opposition to the AHCA.

Where all this leads, and when, is still unclear. After the Easter recess, Congress is in session four of the next five weeks. If the AHCA is going to reappear it may be during that timeframe. Inside sources confirm that while leadership has appeared to move on to other priorities like tax reform, the bill is still very much in play and being discussed and debated regularly.
There remains at least some sense of urgency here. Reports surfaced Friday that Anthem, one of the largest health insurers still offering individual insurance policies in the ACA’s online marketplaces, was contemplating pulling out of several additional states, further eroding the number of insurers still willing to offer policies in the marketplaces.
One thing Republicans and Democrats agree on is that the individual market is definitely in need of major repair, otherwise insurers will not re-engage in it.

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