The question of whether the United States will have functioning markets where individuals can buy health care insurance lies at the heart of the current debate about repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Since about 20 million Americans depend on these markets for insurance — and thus access to health care — their functioning is also essential to the future of the U.S. health care system. To understand the ongoing battles about the individual, or non-group, markets and their reform, three points should be kept in mind.
Where Both the ACA and AHCA Fall Short, and What the Health Insurance Market Really Needs
We know what works, but the U.S. lacks the political will to implement it.
March 21, 2017
Summary.
About 20 million Americans depend on insurance markets for access to health care — but to date, the United States has failed to effectively implement them. To make private insurance markets work, the author suggests that we must balance risk pools by mandating coverage, make plans more affordable by expanding subsidies, offer reinsurance and risk corridors to make the insurance business sustainable, and accelerate efforts to reduce the costs of health care services. The author argues that while these reforms may be difficult, they are necessary to ensure affordable care for all Americans.