Major Tax Cut For The Rich Along For The Ride If Health Law Is Repealed
For those in the top 0.1 percent of incomes, repealing one of the taxes meant to pay for the health law would mean $154,000 in annual savings. Meanwhile, without the individual mandate, Republicans are facing an uphill battle to make a "replace" plan work.
Politico:
Obamacare Repeal Could Be Biggest 2017 Tax Cut For Wealthy
The big winners in Republican plans to repeal Obamacare are likely to be the rich. Rescinding the Affordable Care Act means not only taking away health coverage from some 20 million Americans. It also means scrapping two big tax increases Democrats imposed on the wealthy to help pay for it all. (Faler, 12/8)
Modern Healthcare:
GOP Faces Tough Challenges In Replacing The ACA's Individual Mandate
Health insurers have reluctantly signaled that they will go along with congressional Republicans' plans to repeal most of the Affordable Care Act if the legislation includes a strong replacement for the ACA provision that pressures younger and healthier people to buy coverage. But it's highly uncertain – both procedurally and politically -- whether GOP leaders can quickly pass such a provision, which is widely viewed as necessary to avoid a chaotic meltdown in the individual insurance market where nearly 20 million Americans get coverage. (Meyer, 12/8)
In other health law news —
The Associated Press:
New Coalition Will Push Back On Repeal Of Obama Health Law
Supporters of the 2010 health care law will launch a political coalition Friday to block its repeal. They're targeting Republican lawmakers whose constituents may now be at risk of losing health insurance. The initial goal is to stop Congress from repealing the law without simultaneously passing a replacement for some 20 million people covered through subsidized private health insurance and expanded Medicaid. Called "Protect Our Care," the group brings together organizations that helped pass the Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare." (Alonso-Zaldivar, 12/9)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Didn't Get An Obamacare Subsidy This Year? Try Again For 2017
About 8.8 million Americans (including 321,345 Pennsylvania residents and 205,242 New Jerseyans) who bought insurance through HealthCare.gov for the current year receive tax credits. But federal officials say many more people are eligible. These include people who didn't get a credit in 2016 but may be eligible for 2017 even if their income remains the same, because insurance rates have gone up. (12/9)
PolitiFact Florida:
Rick Scott Misleads About The Inventors Of Obamacare By Ignoring Republicans' Roles
In a Nov. 30 op-ed in USA Today, [Florida Gov. Rick Scott] reiterated his 2010 campaign pledge to fight for repeal of the federal health care law. ... "It was sold on a lie. It was invented by liberal academic theorists who have no interaction with real families and businesses and therefore it doesn’t work." Scott’s piece leaves out that the Affordable Care Act of 2010 is based on ideas from not just Democrats but also Republicans. ... Most notably, Scott omits Republican Gov. Romney, who enacted a Massachusetts plan four years before the federal law passed, and the conservative Heritage Foundation, which was a strong advocate for the health care exchanges upon which both plans were based. We rate this claim Mostly False. (Sherman, 12/5)