As Hillary Clinton for all intents and purposes has landed the Democratic Presidential nomination, so begins the process of understanding what Madame Secretary would bring to the White House should she assume the role of POTUS. At the forefront of her campaign is the issue of health care. While her plan (affectionately called HillaryCare) is being touted as Obamacare 2.0, there are some modifications as to how Clinton will use and manage theAffordable Care Act.
While the ACA has been resting on a slippery slope when it comes to providing widespread health care as expressed in its 2010 passing, Hillary has some ideas for firming up that mantra. Six years ago, both Clinton and Obama were confident that Americans wouldn’t face much financial burden with health care reform. We know that to not be entirely true, considering premium prices are up around 8% on average in 2016, with state by state rates rising to 30% in places like Pennsylvania and Georgia.
While Clinton’s ACA action plan includes reducing premiums, she also plans to throw in incentives for insured citizens, which would ultimately cost the insurance companies. Services like three free sick visits and certain preventative care are just a few of the offerings HillaryCare will bring to the table.
In addition, Clinton hopes to settle the never ending in network / out of network battle, by preventing providers from tacking on costs in cases like emergencies or when out of network services are found in an in network facility. To alleviate any crazy out of pocket burdens, Clinton also seeks to provide a $5,000 tax credit refund option for citizens to utilize following eligibility via medical bills and receipts. Further, the age for Medicare would move down to 50 under HillaryCare, allowing a wider range of health care options for Americans nearing the senior citizen age.
At face value, some may see these moves as simply Band-Aids that would ultimately return to higher premiums in the long run. And while many states are already working individually to help their consumers on a state-level, Clinton’s program is still somewhat in tune with what President Obama first executed in 2010. For those opposed to the ACA, these changes may have them either toeing the line or jumping right over it.