AHCA STALLED – FOR NOW

Please note: The NDNRC Update will come out on a biweekly basis for the time being. If there is major news regarding the ACA, it will be available in the news section of the NDNRC website and we may run special NDNRC Updates on the in between weeks if warranted.

Since our newsletter two weeks ago, the AHCA has stalled in Congress having been pulled from a potential vote on the House floor. However, earlier this week there were reports that Vice President Pence was discussing possible amendments to the AHCA with the conservative members of the House Republicans. To read more about these negotiations, check out Tim Jost’s ACA Round-Up blog on Health Affairs here.

The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) has released an issue brief entitled “What Makes Medicaid, Medicaid?” examining the unique nature of the Medicaid program. The brief from NHeLP is the latest in their series “Defending Medicaid.” To read more about the issue brief or to download a copy, check out our news item here.

In the health care reform discussions, one of the common proposals put forward is the idea of covering people with disabilities and/or pre-existing conditions through high-risk pools. The Commonwealth Fund recently released a fact sheet which explains what high risk pools are and how they work. For our news item on this issue brief which includes a link to the brief and resources written by our CHRIL partner Dr. Jean Hall on high-risk pools, click here.

As part of the AHCA negotiations last month, one of the proposals offered was allowing states to add a work requirement for the Medicaid expansion population. While the AHCA has stalled in Congress, the Trump administration could still approve work requirements if states were to request a waiver and impose a work requirement on their Medicaid recipients. The Kaiser Family Foundation issued a brief which looks at some of the policy questions surrounding the work requirements. To read more about the brief or to download a copy, check out our news item here.

Another issue which arose out of the AHCA was the use of cost-sharing reductions. If you’re looking for a good explanation of how the cost-sharing reductions work with premiums and out-of-pocket costs, the Kaiser Family Foundation has issued a new brief which addresses these issues. That issue brief is available here.

Previously, we reported on the market stabilization rules that were proposed by HHS in February. Some of these proposed rules would establish a pre-verification process for Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs). The Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR) blog looks at the potential impact of the proposed rules on SEPs. To read the CHIR blog, click here. Also, for the comments that we submitted on the proposed market stabilization rules, click here.

The University of Washington Healthy Aging Rehabilitation Research Training Center (RRTC) has released a plain language summary entitled “Living with a Neurological Condition or Injury: The Power of Social Support.” This summary is available by clicking here.

While the AHCA has stalled in Congress, the possibility of ACA repeal still remains. To read the statement we released last November after the election entitled “Preserve the Protections Provided by the Affordable Care Act,” click here.

Are you looking for local partners to help with outreach to the disability community? The NDNRC has Community Outreach Collaboratives (COCs) which work to increase collaborations in the community, dissemination and outreach efforts and enrollment of people with disabilities in the ACA marketplace. To find a COC, click here.

To access the archives for our weekly updates click here.