Obama Administration Lays Out Its Case For ACA ’s Success

President-elect Trump has characterized the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as a disaster and has promised to repeal it. He has partners in the Republican House and Senate, which are also pledged to repeal the ACA, although probably with some kind of a transition period. They are supported by conservative and libertarian commentators who join in characterizing the ACA as a failure. On December 13, 2016 the Obama administration’s Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) issued a lengthy brief emphatically rejecting this characterization. The report was accompanied by a chart book and blog post summarizing the report. The Department of Health and Human Services simultaneously released a compilation of state and national level data on the uninsured, private market reforms, employer coverage, Medicaid, the individual market (including the Health Insurance Marketplace), and Medicare. The releases compile data and research from dozens of sources. They reach the overwhelming conclusion that by many measures the ACA has been an outstanding success in addressing the key issues of our health care system — expanding access, lowering costs, and improving quality. The report also contends that the ACA has reduced the deficit, extended the solvency of the Medicare trust fund, and not interfered with continued job growth. The Administration’s Case Much of the information in the report is familiar: uninsured rates are at the lowest levels in history as 20 million Americans have gained coverage...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Following the ACA Insurance and Coverage Council of Economic Advisors hospital-acquired condition open enrollment Source Type: blogs