For all the damage that ObamaCare has done, it has also led to an awakening among Americans about the inadequacies and costs of a government-centered health care system. This awakening has created an enormous opportunity for conservatives. But making the most of that opportunity will require being clear about what is wrong with ObamaCare, why it needs to be replaced, and what a replacement must involve.
The Obama administration released its proposed budget for 2017 this week. It includes a host of health care-related proposals, including new initiatives to increase access to mental health care, expand opioid abuse treatment, fight antibiotic resistance, address the Zika virus threat, and fund a “cancer moonshot.”
The budget also contains a number of proposals relevant to Affordable Care Act provisions. It proposes providing 100% federal funding for state Medicaid expansions for three years regardless of when the state decides to expand.
It would also modify the high-cost employer health plan (“Cadillac”) tax to take account of geographic differences in health care costs; specifically, it would set the threshold when the tax begins to apply at the greater of the current statutory dollar threshold or a state’s “gold plan average premium.”
The HHS Budget in Brief includes a request for $2.1 billion to fund the federally facilitated marketplaces and oversight of the state marketplaces.
The budget anticipates the collection of $4.335 billion and expenditure of $4.560 billion in 2017 for the transitional reinsurance program.
The Obama administration is setting up a new ObamaCare sign-up period for people who failed to file 2014 tax returns.
Jan. 31 was the deadline for most people to sign up, but this new period will provide another chance until March 31, for certain people who might have missed out on coverage because of confusion about new ObamaCare requirements regarding taxes and health insurance.