The Demise of the Affordable Care Act? Not So Fast
Authors: Robert Doherty
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2016)

Ideas and Opinions17 January 2017The Demise of the Affordable Care Act? Not So FastRobert Doherty, BARobert Doherty, BAFrom the American College of Physicians, Washington, DC.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M16-2728 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Before 8 November 2016, most health policy observers were confident that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) would remain in place, despite substantial challenges due to increasing premiums and reduced insurance competition in some markets. Although critics of the law predicted that these troubles would cause the ACA to “collapse under its own weight,” there were feasible solutions to stabilize the markets (1). Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton had pledged to pursue fixes to decrease premiums, expand coverage, and limit out-of-pocket costs. Instead, President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress have vowed to “repeal and replace” the ACA and ...References1. Abelson R, Sanger-Katz M. Obamacare Marketplaces Are in Trouble. What Can Be Done? The Upshot. The New York Times. 29 August 2016. Accessed at www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/upshot/obamacare-marketplaces-are-in-trouble-what-can-be-done.html on 23 November 2016. Google Scholar2. Reynolds ME. Keeping tabs on a potential ACA repeal: Three questions to watch. Brookings Institution. 15 November 2016. Accessed at www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2016/11/15/keeping-tabs-on-a-potential-aca-repeal-three-questions-to-watch on 23 November 2016. Google Scholar3. Holler D. Memo: How to Repeal All of Obamacare with Reconciliation. Heritage Action for America. 28 July 2015. Accessed at http://heritageaction.com/2015/07/memo-how-to-repeal-all-of-obamacare-with-reconciliation on 23 November 2016. Google Scholar4. List of Governors Expressing Concern about Repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the Medicaid Expansion. Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families. 2016. Accessed at http://ccf.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/List-of-Governors-Expressing-Concern-about-Repeal-of-the-Affordable-Care-Act.pdf on 23 November 2016. Google Scholar5. Cancryn A, Demko P. Obamacare repeal plan stokes fears of market collapse. Politico. 21 November 2016. Accessed at www.politico.com/story/2016/11/obamacare-repeal-market-collapses-231653 on 23 November 2016. Google Scholar6. Spiro T, Huelskoetter T. Republican ACA Repeal Bill Would Unravel the Market Even Before It Goes into Effect. Center for American Progress. 16 November 2016. Accessed at www.americanprogress.org/issues/healthcare/reports/2016/11/16/292394/republican-aca-repeal-bill-would-unravel-the-market-even-before-it-goes-into-effect on 23 November 2016. Google Scholar7. Meyer H. ACA repeal without replacement could spur insurer exodus. Modern Healthcare. 17 November 2016. Accessed at www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20161117/NEWS/161119912 on 23 November 2016. Google Scholar8. Kliff S. I read 7 Republican Obamacare replacement plans. Here's what I learned. Vox. 17 November 2016. Accessed at www.vox.com/2016/11/17/13626438/obamacare-replacement-plans-comparison on 23 November 2016. Google Scholar9. Sanger-Katz M. Why Keeping Only the Popular Parts of Obamacare Won't Work. The New York Times. 15 November 2016. Accessed at www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/upshot/why-keeping-only-the-popular-parts-of-obamacare-wont-work.html on 23 November 2016. Google Scholar10. National Center for Health Statistics. Health Insurance Coverage. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2016. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/health-insurance.htm on 23 November 2016. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the American College of Physicians, Washington, DC.Acknowledgment: The author thanks Joshua Serchen for copyediting the manuscript and formatting the citations.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M16-2728.Corresponding Author: Robert Doherty, BA, American College of Physicians, 25 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20001; e-mail, [email protected]acponline.org.Author Contributions: Conception and design: R. Doherty.Analysis and interpretation of the data: R. Doherty.Drafting of the article: R. Doherty.Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: R. Doherty.Final approval of the article: R. Doherty.Provision of study materials or patients: R. Doherty.Administrative, technical, or logistic support: R. Doherty.Collection and assembly of data: R. Doherty.This article was published at www.annals.org on 13 December 2016. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byInducing FearProfessionalism Charter Provides Guidance to Health Care Organizations in These Troubled TimesDavid A. Fleming, MD and Walter J. McDonald, MD 17 January 2017Volume 166, Issue 2Page: 144-145KeywordsDisclosureHealth careHealth insuranceMedical conditionsMedicarePatient Protection and Affordable Care ActResearch fundingResearch quality assessmentTaxesVeteran care ePublished: 13 December 2016 Issue Published: 17 January 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2016 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...