Different Takes: Just What Is The GOP’s Substitute For The Health Law?; Destroying The ACA Would Be Political Catastrophe

Opinion writers weigh in the health law and other insurance issues.

The Washington Post: Republicans’ Missing Health-Care Plan
The Justice Department’s decision Monday that the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional has sparked many questions, such as “Didn’t Republicans get killed in the midterms on health care?” and “Really? This again?” Combined with a federal judge’s ruling Thursday blocking the Trump administration’s “association health plans,” which the judge called “clearly an end-run around the ACA,” the biggest question is "What is the Republican Party’s health-care plan?” Judging from the party’s representatives on the Sunday talk shows, the answer is “whatever you want it to be.” (James Downie, 3/31)

The Hill: Juan Williams: Trump Allies Warn Of Health Care Folly
If you are a Trump voter, why trust me? Let’s go to President Trump’s toadies in Congress and see what they have to say about his Justice Department’s call last week to push the federal courts to kill the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), one of Trump’s strong backers, bluntly told The Washington Post that the president’s order to the Justice Department is “not the smartest move.” He explained that doing away with the current law without having a replacement ready to go “leaves millions of Americans in harm’s way and they didn’t do anything.” (Juan Williams, 4/1)

Axios: The Winning Health Care Message Will Be About Out Of Pocket Costs 
As the 2020 campaign ramps up, Democrats may be able to rally their base by talking about universal coverage and making health care a right through Medicare-for-all. Republicans may be able to motivate their core voters by branding progressive Democratic ideas as socialism.The catch: But it’s the candidates who can connect their plans and messages to voters’ worries about out of pocket costs who will reach beyond the activists in their base. And the candidates aren’t speaking to that much, at least so far. (Drew Altman, 4/1)

Arizona Republic: If Obamacare Is Killed People Will Die, And You Will Pay
If the lawsuit were to prevail, and Obamacare would suddenly cease to exist, more than 20 million Americans could find themselves without health care. Just like that. If that were to occur, with no replacement plan in place (and there is none), people would die. There is no way around it. (EJ Montini, 3/30)

The Hill: 2019 Medicaid Funding Cliff Could Cause Mass Migration From Puerto Rico
“Chronicle of a disaster foretold” — an ominous phrase coined by author Gabriel Garcia Marquez that no longer characterizes a fictional novel, but a very real and terrible occurrence that may happen in Puerto Rico at the end of this year. Puerto Rico is still recovering from the historic destruction caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria and now, to add insult to injury, close to one million residents are in peril of losing their Medicaid coverage in 2019. A man-made, perfect storm that could impact not just Puerto Rico, but also states like Florida and other states where residents could potentially relocate to maintain their Medicaid coverage. (Jaime R. Torres, 3/30)

CQ: Health Matters: Opening Medicare To All Could Open A Pandora's Box
The discussion about Medicare buy-in options or other plans to expand coverage “could very well bring attention back to questions about what’s going on with the Medicare program today, both its strengths and its limitations,” says Medicare expert Tricia Neuman, a senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Already, advocates for a single-payer health plan are proposing a massive Medicare overhaul. A plan (HR 1384) from Washington Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal would change how hospitals are reimbursed for their services and would cover more services, including vision, dental, mental health and long-term care. (Mary Ellen McIntire, 4/1)

The Hill: Not All Solutions To Surprise Medical Bills Are Cost-Effective 
U.S. senators on both sides of the aisle and President Trump have declared a need to protect patients from surprise medical bills. Insured patients who try to stay within their insurers’ networks can be hit with these bills when they unknowingly receive care from out-of-network physicians in emergencies or at hospitals in their insurers’ network where the doctors are not in the insurer’s network. Out-of-network physicians bill the patient’s insurer their list price, which is similar to the sticker price of a car — a price few people actually pay. (Mark Friedberg and Chapin White, 3/31)

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.

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