If Obamacare is repealed, the change will happen in January 2018.

[MineralMan]

That happens to coincide with the year of the next congressional elections. Who do you suppose will get the blame if voters, including many Republicans, discover that the Republican repeal of "Obamacare" cuts off their health insurance that they thought was part of the Exchange and was called the Affordable Care Act. They liked the ACA. It got a lot of people insured who couldn't get insurance.

Now, the Republicans are going to take away their health insurance? How could that be, Damn them to Hell?

Insurance Cancellations 2018. It's a lose/lose proposition for Republicans. Bad timing.

[beachbum bob]

1. wont matter....the 2 years war on the repeal will have it ingrained in peoples minds who did it

and it can be undone in 2020 with a new admin and a new congress to boot

[Motown_Johnny]

2. They would delay it until January 2019

So that they can run on repealing it in the midterms and not have it fall apart until the next cycle.

That would also buy them a year to pass some type of replacement.

[MineralMan]

3. Won't work. Signups for ACA happen at election time.

The news will be full of bad news for people who need the ACA coverage. Suddenly, they'll find out that the Republicans took away their health insurance and there's nothing to replace it.

People are looking for the most affordable insurance in October and November. Just in time for the election. Democrats can campaign on that by blaming the Republicans. After all, they've been planning to repeal Obamacare for a long, long time. Easy campaign.

[Motown_Johnny]

5. True...

But only about 6.4 million people signed up through healthcare.gov. Yes that is a lot but not when compared to how many people vote. There are also some on state sites but that can be blamed on the states themselves.

They got away with not expanding Medicaid in red states. Odds are they would get away with this until people actually saw the damage for themselves.

I agree it would be a disaster but the (R) base will hail it as a victory.



http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/21/record-number-of-obamacare-signups-on-healthcaregov-for-2017-health-insurance-coverage.html

^snip^

Federal health officials Wednesday touted a record 6.4 million customer sign-ups on the federal Obamacare marketplace HealthCare.gov so far this open enrollment season — topping last year's pace during the same time period by 400,000 customers.

[MineralMan]

7. Yes, but a lot of people just let the previous year's coverage

roll over. They'll remember, too.

[Motown_Johnny]

9. Most get their insurance from their employer.

It won't really hit them until 2019 if the repeal is delayed until then.


Not that this will even happen. I think the (R)s are "the dog who caught the car" and now just want to let it go and run away.

Nothing like a nice war in the Middle East to get people's minds off Obamacare.

[Vinca]

4. If they do repeal it, it will be one of the biggest political clusterf*cks of all time.

The insurance market will go nuts, premiums will skyrocket and everyone from seniors to coal miners is going to be pissed off. If they time it for the 2018 mid-terms, they're less bright than I thought.

[elehhhhna]

6. People forget that hospitals, particularly small town/non urban hospitals,

Will close. Like overnight. They're struggling already and ACA has helped them immensely in terms if reimbursements for people who otherwise would pay nothing.

[MineralMan]

8. I think the Republicans are realizing that now.

They seem to be scaling back their plans for repeal. Reality sucks if you're a Republican elected official.

[peggysue2]

10. Agreed!

I said on another thread, the new meme is 'Repeal and Repair.' It's being tried out now by Lamar Alexander and several others who are getting cold, clammy feet. The wording change was a Luntz suggestion because Trumpers are beginning to realize they could lose their healthcare.

Oh Noes!

In addition, the GOP has been unable to rally major movers and shakers in the insurance industry for the wrecking party. There is no viable plan in sight, beyond half-baked ideological screeds about patient choice. One of those choices I assume would be to give it up and just die already. That's the consequence of using weasel words like 'access.' Everyone will have access. Only not the means to pay for it.

Republicans are hanging out in space with their raggedy pants down and they know it. No one will thank them for blowing up the healthcare system and/or the US economy.

[subterranean]

11. The Republicans need to figure out their game plan very soon.

The insurance companies participating in the exchanges are already in the process of determining their plans and pricing for next year. Unless the Republicans can give them some kind of certainty regarding the continuation of the subsidies, the mandate and the future of the Obamacare exchanges by this spring, we're going to see a lot more companies pulling out of the exchanges next year. Either that or they'll jack up premiums even higher to account for the added risk caused by the uncertainty.