TODAY MARKS THE Affordable Care Act’s 13th birthday since its signing by President Obama on March 23, 2020, a landmark moment that our current president famously noted at the time with colorful zeal. Massachusetts has particular reason to take note of today’s anniversary, as our 2006 universal health insurance law was among the ACA’s most important […]
Affordable Care Act
Posted inHealth Care
Overturning Affordable Care Act could cost Massachusetts billions
THE US SUPREME COURT heard arguments Tuesday in a case that could overturn the Affordable Care Act – with major economic and health insurance implications for Massachusetts. Two key justices – Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh – sent signals that they were not inclined to throw out the entire law, but uncertainty over what the court will […]
Posted inHealth Care
Can Massachusetts fix a key problem with ACA coverage?
MASSACHUSETTS IS AMONG the bellwether states for its Affordable Care Act insurance coverage. But can our state lead in fixing the brutal challenges for many residents who must do battle to keep ACA coverage, once they have it? This intractable puzzle is on our minds now as we delve into ACA open enrollment season for […]
Posted inHealth Care
H-P chief: Medicare for all debate is good
THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care doesn’t want the government to take over the entire health insurance business – at least until after he retires – but he sees some advantages to the movement seeking an expansion of Medicare so that government-backed insurance covers everyone. For one, Harvard Pilgrim CEO Michael Carson thinks […]
Posted inThe Download
Trump finally pulls plug on Obamacare
President Trump is giving people more reasons to stay or move to Massachusetts. Late Thursday, the Justice Department announced it will no longer defend the provisions of the Affordable Care Act in a suit by 20 GOP-controlled states challenging the constitutionality of the individual mandate. It’s a decision that will likely end the most important legacy of […]
Posted inOpinion
With junk insurance, you get what you pay for
INSPIRED BY MARCHES, movements (#MeToo, #TimesUp), and momentum (the unprecedented surge of females running for office), women are standing up for the issues that matter most to them. Let’s make sure that healthcare continues to be on that list. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), American women have made dramatic gains. The number of uninsured […]
Posted inOpinion
Silver linings and seeds in tax cut law – Part II
This is the second part of John McDonough’s “Silver Linings Playbook.” Read the first installment here. THE AMERICAN AUTHOR Napoleon Hill wrote: “Every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.” I see this happen in health policy, and specifically, I see it in how the Republican tax cut law signed by President Trump […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics
No popular options for repeal or replace
WELL, THAT DIDN’T take long. Less than 24 hours after conservative senators Jerry Moran and Mike Lee joined Rand Paul and Susan Collins in opposing the Senate’s “repeal and replace” health care bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s “repeal and delay” plan B crashed almost before it got off the ground. The public polling suggest […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
A Republican path to ACA reform?
IF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP and Congressional Republicans were to decide that fixing rather than destroying the Affordable Care Act, especially its private health insurance marketplaces, was in their self-interest, could they do it? And, could they do it in a way that aligns with Republican policy preferences? The answer to both questions is “yes” – […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Republicans showing their hand on ACA ‘replacement’
LATE LAST WEEK, Politico released a leaked 105-page draft bill defining the House Republican plan to repeal/replace/repair/re-whatever the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare. The draft legislation was dated February 10, so likely it’s already out of date, though it is the best indication yet of their rapidly evolving intentions and fits with many of their prior recent […]