By: Mara Youdelman
Executive Summary
With a looming Trump administration and conservative majorities in Congress promising to repeal the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, and greatly weaken Medicaid and other public safety net laws, NHeLP D.C. Managing Attorney Mara Youdelman details some of what to expect in the coming year on health care. Although it seems apparent the new administration and Congress will repeal Obamacare, doing so will not be easy, especially since the law has provided health care coverage to more than 20 million Americans, many in states with Republican governors. Youdelman notes that coverage under the ACA is almost assured for 2017, but then many questions and debates will drag on into 2018. Regarding Medicaid, Youdelman explains that the president-elect and conservative lawmakers in Congress are promising to push austerity policies in the guise of giving more flexibility to the states to operate Medicaid (states already have wide flexibility) that if enacted into law would undermine if not destroy the purpose of Medicaid, an entitlement program. Read Youdelman’s entire Health Advocate, The Post-Election of our Health.
