The Republican Administration has begun the repeal process for the ACA - but there's no clear plan for what will replace it. Image: Shutterstock |
Trump, speaking on the subject a week before his inauguration, vowed to replace the ACA with a program that would provide “insurance for everybody,” but was quick to point out that he does not want a single-payer system, which is a system where healthcare is covered by one payer. In almost every case around the world, that payer is the government. That has never been the case in the United States, where private health insurance companies form a very powerful lobby; however some politicians have voiced concerns that the U.S. is headed in that direction, an idea to which a number of Americans are quite resistant.
Healthcare for everyone sounds fantastic, but unfortunately the current administration has not provided any details about what it would involve—other than to say that it will work and work well, and that it will pass without much difficulty. While both House speaker Paul D. Ryan and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell are rumored to support the plan, it would still have to pass through Congress before becoming law—which is not a sure thing, even in a Republican-controlled Congress and Presidency.
Without an actual plan to look at, many Americans are concerned about the status of their health insurance. The Affordable Care Act expanded coverage to about 20 million Americans, who stand to lose that coverage if the ACA is repealed without being replaced. And while Trump has promised that everyone will have insurance, many are scratching their heads about how that will work in a country that has so far been resistant to exactly that idea.
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