Repealing and Replacing Obamacare
By Rep. Kristi Noem
When we talk about healthcare, we’re talking about something that is very personal to people. It’s why I’ve so often looked for ways to put you, the patient, in control of your own healthcare. Since Obamacare came into play, however, rising costs, shrinking options and increased bureaucratic involvement has resulted in control being taken away from patients and their doctors.
I’ve heard from thousands of South Dakotans about the burdens placed on them by Obamacare. For instance, a retired teacher from Sisseton saw her premiums increase from $350 to $500 per month while her out-of-pocket threshold increased from $5,000 to $6,000. Higher costs, worse coverage.
A Sioux Falls small business owner had once tried to cover 60 percent of his employees’ premium costs. But after Obamacare, premiums rose to the point that this benefit wasn’t affordable anymore.
A family in Haakon County reached out to me after their premiums increased 200 percent. A family in Milbank saw costs for their son’s insurance rise from $89 per month to more than $300. A woman in Rosholt pays almost $250 more per month for a plan that doesn’t include the benefits she used most often.
While I could go on and on with stories like this, I understand others have felt greater security because of Obamacare’s provisions. For years, we have fought to offer relief to those hurt worst by Obamacare. The Independent Payment Advisory Board, which could have led to rationed care for seniors, was gutted. The 1099 mandate was eliminated and some of the most burdensome taxes were delayed. Even after the tweaks, however, Obamacare remains beyond repair.
Earlier this month, House Republicans put forward a new vision for health care: one that offers Americans from all walks of life the freedom and flexibility to get the health coverage their family needs. This legislation came about after years of debate and the final stages were completed in close collaboration with President Trump and his administration.
The legislation eliminates Obamacare’s individual and employer mandates. It abolishes 14 Obamacare taxes that take $1 trillion from American taxpayers every decade. This includes taxes on prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and medical devices as well as the Health Insurance Tax, based on legislation I authored, which could cost the average family nearly $5,000 over the next decade if it isn’t repealed.
The flawed Obamacare subsidies left many behind, so this legislation replaces them with monthly tax credits for low- and middle-income Americans. These credits range from $2,000 to $14,000 per year, depending on a person’s age and family size. You will finally be able to choose the plan that’s right for you – even if that means cheaper catastrophic coverage, which is something Obamacare didn’t allow you to do. In addition to the tax credit, states will receive new resources to help people out and Health Savings Accounts will be enhanced and expanded to grant you even more flexibility.
At the same time, health insurers still won’t be able to deny coverage or charge more money based on pre-existing conditions and young people will be allowed to stay on their parents’ insurance until 26.
There is a lot packed into this legislation, so I encourage you to read through it yourself at www.ReadTheBill.gop
Shortly after the language was released, the House Ways and Means Committee, which I’m a member of, had the opportunity to go through section-by-section and debate any edits folks thought should be made to the part of the bill that fell under our jurisdiction. Once all the committees sign off, the full House of Representatives will have the opportunity to debate and vote on the bill. We expect this process to play out over the next few weeks.
As I mentioned before, I understand healthcare is very personal and it’s for this reason I believe you should be I control of it. That’s ultimately why I’m fighting through this process to finally repeal and replace Obamacare.
Ryan introduced what he calls the “American Health Care Act,” a bill that does not repeal Obamacare but only amends it. For the last several days, senior Republicans ranging from members of the House Freedom Caucus to other House Republicans to Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), and more have raised serious concerns with the bill. Some call it Obamacare 2.0, others call it Obamacare Lite or Ryan-care, and now Palin—in her first interview on the topic, coming on Breitbart News Saturday on SiriusXM 125 the Patriot Channel this weekend—calls it “RINO-Care.” So you’re with Ryan ?
Kristi has become a swamp rat.
All In
“These credits range from $2,000 to $14,000 per year, depending on a person’s age and family size. You will finally be able to choose the plan that’s right for you – even if that means cheaper catastrophic coverage, which is something Obamacare didn’t allow you to do.”
But you have to have significant income for those tax credits to matter. And over 15 million Americans will lose coverage under TrumpCare and costs for health insurance will go up for those between the ages of 50 and 64 under Trump’s plan….
The reason Obama was against a catastrophic coverage option is because such a concept does not promote preventive care and without that incentive you never begin to move the cost curve downward….
Emoluments,
These are refundable Tax Credits. Thus, if your taxes are less than your credit, the you will get “cash back” just like with a Discover Card. 🙂
You are correct. Health insurance premiums for those 50-64 will go up because they will lose their subsidy from the young whose premiums will go down.
In my mind, my generation has already done enough to the young people via our National Debt and bankrupting Social Security and Medicare. I don’t want to add to it having them subsidize my health insurance.
Regarding your last paragraph, I’ll just say I think Obama was wrong with regard to it not moving the cost curve down. Of course, we can each select “proponents” of our position to make our case on our different opinion. However, the one thing you can do is counter reality- As public policy has increasingly reduced out-of-pocket of the insured, the cost curve has moved up.
Except, that with a Discover Card you need to speed first to realize the credit. So if that is how TrumpCare works, then where is the guarantee that 15 million people who are removed from Medicaid under TrumpCare will have such cash-flow and access – with Medicaid comes a guarantee, but with TrumpCare it is merely an empty promise of access to “access” with an assumption of cash-flow…
Plus, if TrumpCare is so great, then I can assume that Rep. Noem will being holding a town hall soon, right?
Your second and third paragraphs are merely an indictment of how insurance works. The healthy have always paid for the sick. Insurance is a capitalistic concept, but it requires for all to play the game or most, and when you remove the tax penalty, as Trumpcare does, then you destroy the logical mechanics of insurance itself…
Without ObamaCare, the out-of-pocket costs were still projected to rise and would continual to rise with no preventative approach to bend this projectile overtime…
Absence the out-of-pocket, the curve is already collapsing thanks to a preventative approach and an increase in the number of those insured, and next that approach will positively impact out-of-pocket costs as well under ObamaCare.
See you all at the Noem Town Hall!
LOL!! A Noem Town Hall? Seriously, has she ever held a public, open forum discussion? I watch for this opportunity and have not seen it yet. I saw Mike Rounds hold two of these events in my area, less than 10 months apart last year. Regardless of one’s thoughts or feelings for the guy, I was able to speak to him twice last year without flying to DC. That’s way more than I can say for Noem or Thune.