[Newfie]

With the Senate changing hands in January, what do toy think will happen to the Affordable Care Act aka Obama Care?

[Lore]

There will of course be yet another symbolic vote to repeal the law in its entirety followed by several measures to deconstruct some of it's fundamental precepts. The problem will be to make these changes without destroying the program completely.

I expect to see some minor changes to the act, but also see the President warming up his veto pen for much of the rest that could still get past the senate. Once again, it will be more theater than substance as Republicans jockey for the 2016 elections.

[dinopello]

There will of course be yet another symbolic vote to repeal the law in its entirety followed by several measures to deconstruct some of it's fundamental precepts. The problem will be to make these changes without destroying the program completely.

I expect to see some minor changes to the act, but also see the President warming up his veto pen for much of the rest that could still get past the senate. Once again, it will be more theater than substance as Republicans jockey for the 2016 elections.

That's probably correct because the republicans are in a bit of a bind. They COULD in the Senate get modifications to the law that they would (under normal circumstances) favor and that could get a few dems to go along (to avoid the filibuster) but that would be admitting that the law is here to stay and it would also have to be reconciled with the house. With a bigger majority, Bohner might be able to work with the house but admitting the law is here to stay and simply trying to improve it might be a bridge too far. I'd like to see them debate a straight out repeal in the Senate though. That would be interesting.

[Subjectivist]

Republicans will fiddle around the edges and accomplish nothing like they usually do.

[SpringCreekFarm]

I think Republicans will try to insert the repeal of the Affordable Care Act into must-pass legislation daring the President to veto it, which he will, and use it against the Democrats in 2016.

[Lore]

There will of course be yet another symbolic vote to repeal the law in its entirety followed by several measures to deconstruct some of it's fundamental precepts. The problem will be to make these changes without destroying the program completely.

I expect to see some minor changes to the act, but also see the President warming up his veto pen for much of the rest that could still get past the senate. Once again, it will be more theater than substance as Republicans jockey for the 2016 elections.

That's probably correct because the republicans are in a bit of a bind. They COULD in the Senate get modifications to the law that they would (under normal circumstances) favor and that could get a few dems to go along (to avoid the filibuster) but that would be admitting that the law is here to stay and it would also have to be reconciled with the house. With a bigger majority, Bohner might be able to work with the house but admitting the law is here to stay and simply trying to improve it might be a bridge too far. I'd like to see them debate a straight out repeal in the Senate though. That would be interesting.

Don't forget that there is still a war going on for the hearts and minds of the Republican party between the old guard and the Tea Party. The GOP managed to field more moderate conservative candidates this go round, keeping a lid on guys like Cruz for the last few months. I see these types now with election day over coming out swinging again.

[Plantagenet]

I think some Ds in the Congress will join with the Rs and pass some bills to modify Ocare. I think Obama will say he opposes changes to Ocare, but then cave in to pressure and sign the bills.

The Ds are running away from O as fast as they can go. You could hardly find a single D who was even willing to have O make a campaign visit --- they all pretended they didn't even know the guy. Some Ds denied even voting for obama in the election. Other Ds lied about not voting for O's policies in Congress. None of it helped--- the Ds still lost a lot elections.

The Ds are pissed at O. Look for some Ds to start voting with Rs going forward. Look for Obama to blow off work even more often and spend even more time on the golf course. AND look for Obama to cave under pressure---the guy always folds like wet tissue.


Give me the pen. Where do I sign? I've got a golf date in an hour, you know…..

[Newfie]

Here is some commentary from Forbs. They seem to think repeal is not likely until 2017, when Obama can no longer veto the repeal.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapotheca ... -congress/

My colleague at the National Center for Policy Analysis, Devon Herrick, and I had a look at the landscape this morning. Here is a list of some priorities that we believe can and should be addressed in the new Congress:

Repeal the excise tax on medical devices. This enjoys broad, bipartisan support - even from Democrats who voted for it when they imposed Obamacare on the nation. The tax is grabbing far less revenue than expected. Nevertheless, an important question stands out: How to pay for the lost revenue under Congress’ scoring rules? Some argue that repeal needs no offset; the industry would prefer that repeal be paid for via corporate tax reform; but grassroots conservatives will be skeptical unless the lost tax revenues are offset by Obamacare spending cuts.

Shore up Medicare Part D Drug Plans by allowing them to better control fraud, which many Democrats support. Who could be against that?

Obamacare discourages patient-focused innovation in health insurance plan design. Some Democrats have voiced support for the health insurers’ proposed “copper plan“. This is a point of leverage to open discussions on a wide variety of plan designs that suit patients’ needs, not politicians’ preferences.

Improve risk adjustment in Obamacare plans. Republicans have been full-throated in their opposition to Obamacare’s “bailout” of insurers which lose money in exchanges. However, there is a bigger problem with Obamacare plans: They encourage insurers to seek out healthy subscribers and shun sick ones. Congress should reform the risk-mitigation mechanisms in Obamacare so that they are more like those of Medicare Advantage.

Put Obamacare’s exchanges out of their misery! This is where we significantly differ from our friend Avik Roy. The exchanges’ failures were obvious to every American, and they are unlikely to improve. Stop the hundreds of millions of dollars surging to IT firms and “navigators”; and allow people to buy their plans from agents, whether online or in-person, without going through an exchange.

Shrink the Medicaid expansion as much as possible. Medicaid has entered a fiscal death spiral into which the federal and state governments are pulling each other. By identifying opportunities to cut back the Federal Matching Assistance Percentage (FMAP) or the income eligibility for the expansion, Congress can further reduce Medicaid dependency from Obamacare’s original vision.

Greater flexibility in state Medicaid programs to allow states to tailor their Medicaid programs to meet each state’s unique needs. Wisconsin provides a recent example of success.

Reduce the power of the Food and Drug Administration to prevent patients from using experimental new therapies. The FDA’s bureaucratic burden has increased dramatically, and it needs to be reigned in.

[enkidu]

The AMA-FDA-Pharmaco-Insurance cartel is rich and powerful and is getting and will contintue to get what they want.