Repeal, Replace, Repair, or Improve?

With a new administration in the White House, Congress is taking a renewed look at the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Some policymakers have vowed to repeal and replace the ACA, while others are advocating for targeted repairs to the health care system. Multiple proposals to repeal, replace, repair, or improve the health reform law have emerged.

Regardless of how Congress proceeds, the impacts will be felt throughout the health care system. How could proposed changes affect American consumers in terms of insurance coverage and costs? What are the potential impacts of alternative policies for the federal budget? What challenges do policymakers face in designing a health care system that provides access to affordable, high-quality health coverage? In this congressional briefing, RAND senior economist, Christine Eibner, discusses the impacts of policies proposed by both sides of the aisle including

• Repeal of or alternatives to the individual mandate
• Changes to rules regulating the individual market
• Alternative subsidy structures
• Changes to the federal financing structure of Medicaid
• Options to replace the Cadillac tax.