Repeal

Only 3 Million Would Lose Private Coverage If ObamaCare Is Repealed, Published on on DickMorris.com  7/7/17

Fear mongering liberals have widely broadcast a phony statistic: That repealing ObamaCare would deprive 20 million people of insurance. Nonsense.

According to the Heritage Foundation, the total number of people now covered by some form of health insurance is 14 million higher than before ObamaCare took effect --- not 20 million.

And, 11.5 million of the 14 million got coverage not through policies purchased on the Exchanges but through old-fashioned Medicaid, a welfare program pure and simple.

So the total that would lose insurance if ObamaCare were repealed is closer to 2-3 million people.

And, of the 11.5 million newly covered by Medicaid, about 70 percent got covered not because of any increase in eligibility standards.  They had always been eligible, even under the old Medicaid program, but only now did they think to apply.  The vast PR campaign to get insurance sucked them in.  Repealing the Affordable Care Act would not affect them at all.

So, the total "cost" of a full repeal of the ACA would be less than 3 million people losing private insurance and 5 million losing Medicaid.

Senator Ted Cruz' plan to replace ObamaCare would offer everyone bare bones coverage at low premiums if they wanted these policies but it would also create an entitlement for sick people to get highly subsidized policies to meet their needs.  These replacements should deal with the problems of those who would lose their current coverage.

As to the Medicaid population, the key here is to institute utilization controls.

With Medicaid having been expanded to people above the poverty line, nominal copayments of, for example, $10 for an emergency room visit, (now SNAP) and found utilization dropped by more than 80%.

So, let's not be intimidated by the scare tactics.  Repealing ObamaCare without a replacement is both feasible and humane. And Sen. Cruz' plan for replacement will do the trick nicely. - Dick Morris