New recommendations from the independent research arm of House conservatives lay out a roadmap for how the GOP could structure an Affordable Care Act replacement.
Republicans have been trying to repeal and replace the ACA since its inception with little success. With the 2016 elections coming up, presidential candidates are under pressure to offer detailed replacement plans.
The plan, which draws heavily upon the previously introduced American Health Care Reform Act, would rely "on conservative principles and increased state flexibility to transform our top-down healthcare system," the Republican Study Committee (RSC) says.
Strategies outlined include:
- Fully repealing the ACA in an attempt to increase competition in the marketplace and increase consumer choices.
- Increasing access to affordable, portable healthcare by providing a standard deduction for health insurance.
- Improving access to insurance for vulnerable Americans by expanding federal support for high-risk pools.
- Allowing Americans to purchase health insurance products across state lines and permitting small businesses to pool together to negotiate better rates.
- Reforming medical liability law.
- Investing in the development of biomedical breakthroughs that could lead to cures and treatments for the deadliest diseases.
- Prohibiting any funds that provide coverage to abortions and continuing the prohibition of federal funds that do, except in certain cases.
The RSC also proposes changes to the Medicare and Medicaid programs. For Medicare, it suggests abandoning the current "one-size-fits-all approach," as well as curbing Medicaid spending by combining some programs and enacting stricter requirements that would reduce coverage for able-bodied adults.
To learn more:
- read the RSC recommendations