GOP/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “Republicans opposed to the Affordable Care Act are showing interest in proposals to shore up the health law and lower premiums, driven partly by their concerns that escalating insurance costs may hurt them in the midterm elections. State and federal GOP lawmakers are backing or considering reinsurance proposals that aim to curb premiums by offsetting insurers’ costlier claims. That stance is a reversal from last year, when Republicans almost uniformly opposed measures to aid the health law they tried to repeal…
Until recently, Republicans generally rejected the notion that the ACA—one of former President Barack Obama’s signature pieces of legislation—could be fixed, saying it needed to be uprooted. Some GOP state legislators in Washington and Colorado are backing reinsurance proposals sponsored by Democrats.
In Congress, many Republicans are also warming to a reinsurance measure. Some want one to be part of an omnibus spending package next month, several Republican and Democratic aides said. That timing is critical, because the legislation would have to pass before insurers set their 2019 rates, which occurs as early as May in some states. Reinsurance would rely on federal funds to help stabilize the market by paying insurers for very expensive claims.
The growing support suggests that the parties, which remain bitterly divided over health care, are finding some common ground as costs climb. Premiums for a popular mid-priced plan on the ACA exchanges rose by an average of 34% this year, according to the health consulting firm Avalere. In some states, the increase is far higher.”
-Stephanie Armour, “Republicans Who Opposed Obama’s Health Law Now Work to Keep Premiums Down,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 15, 2018 05:30am