Health Care Partners Fifth Column on “Repeal and Replace” for Series in Bloomberg BNA’s Health Law Reporter Addresses Legislative Challenge of Building Bipartisan Bill to Repair Obamacare

On July 20, Bloomberg BNA’s Health Law Reporter published the fifth article in a series in which health care partner Tom Bulleit (Washington, D.C.) examines efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare).

The article, titled “Legislative Jenga: Building Bipartisan Bill to Repair Obamacare,” addresses five areas where deeply divided U.S. Senate Democrats and Republicans could reach a bipartisan agreement on American health care reform, as long as they don’t pull the wrong legislative “brick” from this health care version of Jenga to bring down any potential compromise.

Mr. Bulleit notes that should Republicans and Democrats decide to work on bipartisan reforms to shore up the health insurance markets, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican) and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat) could craft an Obamacare repair bill that may include: preserving cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers to reduce out-of-pocket health care costs such as deductibles and copayments for low-income Americans in the individual insurance market; investing in a reinsurance program for health insurers; addressing U.S. counties without health insurance exchange plans; offering tax-advantaged health savings accounts; and expanding Obamacare health insurance plan offerings.