Efforts by Republicans to chip away at the Affordable Care Act, culminating in the repeal of the individual mandate, have left behind a more government-focused health program.
The tax bill headed for passage eliminates the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that most people have insurance. No one is sure what that will do to health care.
Through “automatic re-enrollment,” some Obamacare consumers are being assigned new insurance policies at higher costs — for doing nothing during open enrollment.
In Virginia, premiums on policies sold under the Affordable Care Act are pushing health coverage out of reach, and customers see political forces at work.
The possibility appeared more likely after the Congressional Budget Office warned that the tax bill could set off a rule that would make cuts to Medicare over the next decade.