What happens now to the Affordable Care Act (ACA)?
Three factors are coming together to threaten American healthcare right now:
- The failure of the U.S. Congress to pass legislation to either “repeal or replace” the Affordable Care Act.
- Actions and threats from the Trump Administration to undermine basic pillars of the ACA.
- Clear weaknesses in the original ACA legislation that have never been addressed.
The crisis is particularly profound in the health insurance market for individuals who do not have either government- or employer-funded coverage. Because of uncertainty around the continued funding of subsidies for moderate income buyers and the lack of enforcement of individual mandates, many health insurance companies are abandoning the individual marketplaces, and those who are staying are dramatically raising premiums. Access to care is being threatened right now, and Congress must take action now to aid these individual health insurance markets.
Representatives from Celiac Disease Foundation, American Lung Association, American Heart Association, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, and other disease advocacy organizations went to Capitol Hill this week to encourage bi-partisan action to immediately address this crisis. We also reiterated our shared position that any and all efforts to reform the health insurance market must not threaten protections for pre-existing conditions, must continue to offer essential health benefits, allow parents to keep children on parents plans until age 26, and prohibit annual or lifetime treatment caps. We met with House and Senate staffers and, while we were encouraged to hear of some bi-partisan movement in both chambers, it was clear that neither the leadership nor the White House has endorsed these nascent efforts. That is disappointing. Congress returns from recess after Labor Day. The time to both craft and pass legislation, particularly in a transparent process that welcomes input from impacted communities like ours, is extremely limited. We will continue to demand immediate action on both short-term and long-term solutions to America’s healthcare crisis that protect the interests of the celiac disease community.
Lobbying for Healthcare Reform