Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Ailing Obama Health Care Act May Have to Change to Survive - The New York Times

Ailing Obama Health Care Act May Have to Change to Survive - The New York Times

Comments from Robert Reich:

"Obamacare faces a major test in the fourth annual open enrollment season, which starts on Nov. 1, a week before Election Day. In many counties, consumers will see higher premiums and fewer insurers -- as Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealth have backed out of the exchanges.

Make no mistake: An overhaul of Obamacare is coming, probably within the year. What will it look like? Three possibilities:
1. Trump and many other Republicans want to repeal it altogether and substitute – what? I keep hearing about a "block grant to the states," which is Republican shorthand for "kill it."
2. Some Democrats want to resuscitate a “public option” (remember that?) which would allow people to buy into a version of Medicare. Insurance lobbyists already are mobilizing to kill the public option, as they did when it was first considered as part of Obamacare.
3. The only sensible direction is a single-payer system. A public option could be a step toward it, but the single-payer must be on the table as well. It has large and growing support. Bernie's campaign helped educate the public about its importance -- and inevitability."

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