Policy Summary
In the last month, the Trump administration has introduced new attacks on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA/ Obamacare) most popular provisions. Last year, the inability of Republicans to repeal or replace or even amend part of the ACA compromised a majority of their failures as a party. However, 2018 has proven to show their willingness to destroy healthcare survives like a cockroach that just can’t be stamped out. The administration is seeking to dismantle both the Supreme Court case that upheld individual mandates and is challenging providers granting health insurance for people without regard to preexisting conditions. In order to do this, the administration and the Justice Department is encouraging a federal court in Texas to look at the legality of principles in the individual mandate to buy health insurance. Additionally, congressional republicans have effectively given up on the promised overhaul of medicare, which puts the party in a difficult spot before the November midterms. LEARN MORE
Analysis:
As healthcare becomes a primary topic for discussion in the 2018 midterm elections, the latest administration attack on the ACA and continued inaction on medicare reform threatens the improvement of the healthcare system. A major part of the Republican legislative action has been to dismantle the current U.S. healthcare system. This further action against the ACA takes the fight a step further and would threaten several other states’ current systems relying on the individual mandate. One estimate is that it would cost other states half of a trillion dollars in healthcare costs to absorb the impact of losing the funds from the individual mandates. Even more terrifying, this could mean that sick people could be denied healthcare, which would exclude a key demographic of the healthcare market. The partisanship shown from the Justice Department additionally threatens the integrity of the department’s investigations on important issues. Additionally, Trump has encouraged none of this action take place before the November midterms, so there will need to be more harsh scrutiny over the continued attacks on the ACA policy. Ideally, people will still have access to affordable care act until November, but come 2019, who knows what will be dismantled? Will a single payer system still exist for those most needing it? Will medicare be sorely underfunded for a second year in a row? The Trump administration should answer these questions before the November midterms, but they likely will not discuss such a tenuous topic in order to try to maintain control of the bicameral legislature. LEARN MORE
Resistance Resources:
- Join a Protest – Look for these types of protests in your area and make a statement/ support those like this man who quit his position in protest of the DOJ stopping support for key ACA provisions.
- As always contact your state and local representatives.
This brief was compiled by Sophia Adams. If you have comments or want to add the name of your organization to this brief, please contact sophia@USResistnews.org.
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