Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 6 introduced legislation to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.
Eliminating the ACA has been a major goal of the Republican Party from the moment the law was passed. The GOP's proposed new legislation, called the America Health Care Act, would eliminate a number of provisions of the ACA that the party found most odious. Proposed changes include the following:
- Eliminate the mandate that individuals and employers carry health insurance, a requirement that "forced millions of workers, families, and job creators into expensive, inadequate Obamacare plans that they don't want and cannot afford," they wrote.
- Provide a monthly tax credit between $2,000 and $14,000 a year for low- and middle-income individuals and families who don't get insurance through work or a government program.
- Expand and enhance health savings accounts to double how much money people can put into the accounts.
- Eliminate taxes established to fund the ACA, such as those on prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, health insurance premiums, and medical devices.
- Establish a $100 billion Patient Safety and Stability Fund that would give states funds to establish programs to meet the needs of their patient populations and help low-income Americans afford healthcare.
- Transition Medicare to a per capita allotment so "states can better serve the patients most in need."
It would maintain several elements of the ACA that have proved popular with voters:
- Prohibit insurers from denying coverage or charging more for coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions.
- Allow dependents to stay on their parents' healthcare plans until they are 26.
