the ACA and then possible try to expand on it with the public option that he is interested in establishing.” Buckner said she believes the chances of a public option being passed by Congress in the next two years under a Biden presidency “is not very high.” “I think it’s going to be very tight in Congress, and I don’t think we will see a 60-vote majority in the Senate,” Buckner said. “It’s also projected to be very close in the House, possibly ending up with 224 Democrats, 197 Republicans and 24 toss-ups. So any effort to pass a public option will take bipartisan effort. I think the chances of this happening in the next two years is very low. There may be some attempts to open up the market, possibly for specific age groups, but I think it would take beyond the four years of a President Biden to get there.”
“We’re going to produce phenomenal health care. And we already have the concept of the plan. And it’ll be much better health care.”
age for Medicare to age 60. Whether this makes it through Congress depends on the federal budget, according to Marcy Buckner, senior vice president of government affairs with the National Association of Health Underwriters. “Can we afford to expand Medicare? Will Medicare be financially solvent? Some are even saying that the Medicare age should be raised in order for it to be solvent.” Buckner said that the fiscal issues raised by implementing Medicare for All would be there “in a micro level” by lowering the Medicare eligibility age. “In addition, there may be issues with access to care because some physicians who treat those in the 60-64 age range may not want to take Medicare reimbursement. So there may be limitations on choice for physicians and availability of care. All of these are concerns.”
“So I think we will see Trump, if he is reelected, taking even more regulatory steps to try to take away some of the pieces of the ACA. And if Biden is elected president, I also think he will use the federal agencies and the regulatory process to try to patch up some of the pieces of
Regulatory And Executive Action
Many of the changes that Trump made to health care during his first term came about through regulatory action rather than legislative action. If Trump is reelected, we can expect to see more of those regulatory actions, Buckner said. “In many cases, taking action on the regulatory side is easier than getting something through Congress,” she said. 28
InsuranceNewsNet Magazine » October 2020
Susan Rupe is managing editor for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents’ association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at Susan. Rupe@innfeedback.com. Follow her on Twitter @INNsusan.
“When I say I’ll take care of your health care coverage the same way I take care of my family, there is nothing I take more seriously.”
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REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
COVER STORY 2020 VISION — OR REVISION?