New Report Examines Proposal to Repeal and Replace Obamacare
<p>Although several alternatives to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have been proposed, the Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment (CARE) Act is perhaps the most detailed and comprehensive one offered to date.</p><p>As part of our continuing efforts to model the potential effects of modifications or alternatives to the ACA, The Commonwealth Fund commissioned the RAND Corporation to analyze the CARE Act, which would eliminate Obamacare’s individual and employer mandates, loosen insurer regulations, roll back Medicaid expansion funding, eliminate fees, and offer tax credits to help low-income people purchase insurance.</p>
<p>The RAND analysts find the proposal, put forward by Sens. Richard Burr and Orrin Hatch and Rep. Fred Upton, would reduce federal spending and increase the number of people with coverage through the individual market. But it would also raise the deficit by $17 billion, relative to current law, while increasing the total number of uninsured people by 9 million. Low-income individuals and older adults would face substantially higher costs. The authors note there are many uncertainties regarding CARE Act implementation that could affect their projections.</p>
<p>Read the full report to learn more about the CARE Act’s estimated effects on insurance enrollment, premiums, federal spending, and out-of-pocket costs and to find out how the study was conducted.</p>