October 18, 2017
On Monday, President Trump said Obamacare was dead. On Tuesday, he endorsed the Alexander/Murray legislation (see below for details). Today, he’s backing off on that support.
Our dynamic duo, Joel Wood and Joel Kopperud, go between two “ferns” and do their best Galifianakis, trying to get a handle on where we stand.
Alexander/Murray Release Bipartisan Deal
Draft text of a bipartisan deal struck by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) was released this week. The legislation generally would:
- fund the ACA’s cost-sharing subsidies for the next two years
- require promulgation of federal regulations to implement state “health care choice compacts” under section 1333 of the ACA to allow individual-market QHPs to be offered in more than one state
- liberalize aspects of the ACA’s section 1332 state waiver program
Click here for a detailed memo on the text, produced by our legal team at Steptoe & Johnson.
ACA Legislation Tracker
Click below for an updated version of our ACA Reform Legislation Tracker, produced by our legal team at Steptoe & Johnson. This document reflects changes as of October 18, 2017, and includes the following:
- October 10: Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) introduced H.R. 4004, which requires White House employees to purchase coverage through the ACA exchange.
- October 5: Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the Access to Marketplace Insurance Act (H.R. 3976), which allows non-profits, civic groups, and churches to help pay health insurance premiums for individuals and families enrolled in qualified health plans.
- October 4: Rep. James Renacci (R-OH) introduced the Simplifying Technical Aspects Regarding Seasonality (STARS) Act of 2017 (H.R. 3956), which clarifies the ACA definition of seasonal employment.
- October 3: Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) introduced the Commonsense Reporting Act of 2017 (S. 1908/H.R. 3919), which streamlines employer reporting requirements under sections 6055 and 6056 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Joel Wood, SVP, Government Affairs
Here’s the Alexander-Murray Bill
Axios
Cheryl Matochik, SVP, Strategic Resources & Initiatives
The problem is the prices
Vox
Joel Kopperud, VP, Government Affairs
Top U.S. Health Insurer to Look at Trump Obamacare Alternatives
Bloomberg
Brianne Spellane, Director of Communications & Content Strategy
Trump says he would ‘never’ support insurance bailout
Politico