ABOUT THAT HEALTHCARE PROGRAM THAT WILL MAYBE REPLACE OBAMACARE
AND WHY AREN'T THEY TELLING US HOW IT WILL AFFECT OLDER ADULTS?


Views of experts

Health care experts from across the political spectrum—on the left, right and center—agreed that the House Republican health care bill was unworkable and suffered from fatal flaws, although specific objections varied depending on ideological perspective.
Experts agreed that the bill falls far short of the goals laid forth by Trump —"Affordable coverage for everyone; lower deductibles and health care costs; better care; and zero cuts to Medicaid"—because the bill was
(1) "almost certain" to reduce overall health care coverage and increase deductibles and
(2) would phase out the Medicaid expansion.

Among the key concerns identified by health-care experts were that
(1) the tax credits funded at the level proposed in the bill are insufficient to pay for individual insurance, and could lead to Americans dropping out of the health care market;
(2) the bill's elimination of the ACA's community rating provision (barring insurance companies from charging older people more than three times what they charge younger people) would increase cost disparities between age groups and would increase premiums for Americans more prone to illness;
(3) the dropping of healthy people from the health insurance market (adverse selection could lead to insurer "death spirals" that would decrease choice and
(4) the phaseout of the Medicaid expansion was likely to result in a loss of healthcare for poorer Americans.