Tag

#ACA

3 incidents

Rule of Law
Major Abuse of Power

ACA Repeal Failure: Skinny Repeal Defeated, 23 Million Would Have Lost Coverage

The Republican-led repeal effort over seven months produced several bills that the CBO estimated would cause tens of millions of Americans to lose health insurance. The final attempt — 'skinny repeal' — was a bill so limited in scope that even its Republican proponents did not want it to become law; its stated purpose was to pass something into conference. John McCain, who had returned from brain cancer treatment to cast the deciding vote, gave a thumbs-down at 1:30 AM to defeat the bill 51-49. Trump's response was to blame Republicans and to threaten to withhold the cost-sharing reduction payments that stabilized the ACA market, causing premiums to rise.

Sources
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ACAhealthcareMcCainrepealfirst-term
Updated December 18, 2019 Federal Dismantlement
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

ACA Repeal Failures and Sabotage: Losing 51-49, Then Dismantling Piece by Piece

The administration's attempt to repeal and replace the ACA failed through three separate legislative vehicles: the American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed the House but died in the Senate; the Better Care Reconciliation Act failed to advance in the Senate; and the 'skinny repeal' (Health Care Freedom Act) failed 51-49 when McCain, Murkowski, and Collins voted against it. Following legislative failure, the administration cut the Navigator program (enrollment assistance) from $63 million to $10 million, reduced the open enrollment window, and created an association of short-term health plans that could deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. Termination of cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers triggered premium increases and a complex subsidy dynamic that ultimately cost the government more than the payments themselves.

Sources
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ACAhealthcarerepealfirst-termfederal-dismantlement
Updated November 1, 2020 Federal Dismantlement
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity

ACA Sabotage: Deliberate Undermining of Health Insurance for Millions

Having failed to repeal the ACA legislatively (defeated by the 51-49 Senate vote, including John McCain's thumbs-down), the Trump administration used regulatory and administrative mechanisms to undermine it: eliminating the individual mandate penalty, cutting navigator and outreach funding from $63 million to $10 million, supporting a lawsuit arguing the entire ACA was unconstitutional, and expanding short-term health plans that excluded pre-existing conditions. CBO projected these actions would cause 10-13 million people to lose insurance.

Sources
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ACAhealthcareObamacarehealth-insurancefirst-term