Following the election of President Donald Trump and the re-election of the Republican majority in the Congress, there are many people and health agencies who are afraid that the new administration will repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Throughout the Presidential and Congressional campaigns, Republicans promised to repeal the law, making it a priority in the campaign and placing an emphasis on a plan that has yet to be displayed. “It’s very unclear how healthcare will be affected if the ACA is repealed or modified,” Intermountain Healthcare spokesman Daren Crowley said in an email to the Sun Advocate. According to healthinsurance.org, 164,415 Utahns got their health insurance through the Utah exchange in 2016. “I think the nation is in a wait and see mode for now,” Crowley continued.
No viable plan yet
Even though the Republicans have promised to replace the ACA if they do repeal it, a plan has yet to be proposed. President Trump has already started repealing the law by signing an executive order on Friday. In the order, the President allowed for the removal of the individual mandate which requires people to buy health insurance or face a penalty fee.
The repeal of the ACA has local facilities like Castleview Hospital worried about the impact. “While we do not want to speculate on what the replacement could or should be, we do feel there are existing models that have been proven to work and could be successful ways to provide greater access to coverage for patients,” an email from Castleview Hospital Human Resource Director Misty Birch said.
“At Castleview Hospital, we are committed to delivering high quality care close to home for the communities we serve and as such support the expansion to quality and affordable healthcare coverage,” the statement continued.
In a survey done by Bloomberg conducted from December 2-5, 2016, unemployment and jobs came in first with 26 percent, healthcare second with 20 percent and terrorism third with 15 percent in a list of priorities for the new administration.
“It will be interesting to see if the Republicans go along with President Trump” a spokesman from the Utah Hospital Association said in a phone interview. There has been a divide amongst Republicans as to whether or not accept Medicaid expansion, which is a possible plan for expanding coverage to a greater number of people in Utah and the United States.
Governor John Kasich of Ohio accepted Medicaid expansion during the presidential campaign, which went against many Republican governors who have not accepted the expansion. “I think we’re going to have a societal debate,” the spokesman continued, saying how we may need to think about how we have our healthcare system structured.