The Wall Street Journal: Healthcare Coverage is Increasingly Determined by Where You Live
No one’s access to the care they deserve should be determined by their zip code. And yet, that’s becoming the reality for too many Americans.
Instead of helping more people get the coverage they need, the Trump administration’s relentless sabotage of the Affordable Care Act is dragging our country backwards.
Sherrod has worked hard to expand coverage. He voted for the Affordable Care Act, he’s been a leader in protecting the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and he’s a strong supporter of Medicaid expansion. Stories like these are a reminder that we need him in the Senate, leading this fight.
The Wall Street Journal: Healthcare Coverage is Increasingly Determined by Where You Live
Stephanie Armour – July 18, 2018
Key points:
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Across the country, the details vary but the story is the same. The Trump administration has been rolling back sections of the Obama-era health law piece by piece. And states are filling the void, either to strengthen or counter changes from Washington.
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The result is that the country is increasingly returning to a pre-ACA landscape, where the coverage you get, especially for people without employer-provided insurance, is largely determined by where you live.
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The growing divergence between states may be even more pronounced than it was before the Affordable Care Act.
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Many states have adopted broader consumer protections than before the health law. Others have taken new steps to curb the law’s provisions, such as adding work requirements to Medicaid.
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The states’ accelerating tendency to peel off in different directions will have significant financial repercussions for nearly 30 million U.S. small businesses, about 17 million people who buy individual coverage, 75 million Medicaid recipients and scores of hospitals and insurers.
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Meanwhile, the Trump administration has asked a court to strike down parts of the ACA, including coverage guarantees for people with pre-existing health conditions. It recently froze money that insurers count on to help offset more expensive customers
Read more here.
