I would be the first to admit that 2017 has been a very confusing year for people who have to make decisions about health insurance. Much has been made all year long about promise after promise from politicians across the political spectrum (including the president, who threatened to “let Obamacare collapse”) to repeal, replace, amend, tweak, repair, adjust or just plain fix “Obamacare.”
Blue Cross Healthcare Economist Mike Bertaut is on the road, on the job and around Louisiana. Now is your chance to follow along, as he brings the Straight Talk to you and your fellow Louisianians in our new series of videos.
I once heard a radio host say “Dreaming is important. But to do my job, I HAVE to be the mayor of Real Ville!”
When a “Bailout” Isn’t a “Bailout”:
I really enjoy Twitter. Just a few days ago, after I tweeted about a particular federal program that helps poor people pay for their health insurance, I got this response above.
A few months ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Healthcare Act (AHCA). The bill next went to the Senate, which created several of its own bills, including the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). While these bills are not actively being debated as I write this, they are far from dead, as is the “repeal and replace” debate, which still rages.
Last week, we began trying to explain why these new “Repeal and/or Replace” healthcare bills are so prominent in the political universe and so important right now. We began that discussion with a short history lesson on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA or ACA), and now we know that a massive re-regulation and federalization of the individual health insurance market was the root of the opposition who are now trying to pass the current healthcare bills.
