Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker has unveiled his plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. And he isn't the only one.
The main details of Walker's plan, provided to the Associated Press prior to a speech Tuesday where he is set to outline his major policy initiatives, include extending refundable tax credits to assist paying for private health insurance based on an individual's age as opposed to income; restructuring the Medicaid program; and allowing consumers to shop for coverage across state lines.
While the plan does not include cost figures, the Wisconsin governor's camp says he would pay for the plan by eliminating $1 trillion in taxes and ultimately changing how health insurance is taxed.
But repealing the ACA is no easy feat. Walker would need 60 votes in the Senate to do so, and his current plan does not address how he would undo the law any other way, the AP points out. Additionally, pulling the ACA would kick 19 million people off insurance in the first year.
Another Republican presidential candidate, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, outlines his healthcare overhaul ideas in an opinion piece for Politico Magazine. First, he would create refundable tax credits that would increase in value every year. He would reform regulations to lower costs. And finally, he would put Medicare and Medicaid on fiscally sustainable paths to save both of the programs money.
Then there's former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who touched on his healthcare plan during recent campaign stops in South Carolina, another AP story notes. First and foremost, Bush plans to privatize more veterans' care since the Obama administration has not properly addressed the scandal involving extreme care backlogs and cover-up revelations that engulfed the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Fellow GOP candidate John Kasich, meanwhile, has defended his controversial decision to expand Medicaid in Ohio, and Donald Trump addressed his past support of a single-payer system during the first Republican debate.
For more:
- here's the AP story
- read the Politico Magazine piece
- check out the second AP story