The House Energy and Commerce Committee is slated to take up discussion next week on several bills that would replace parts of the ACA, The Washington Post reported.
The discussion will be split between two hearings, according to the report. The first hearing will address the ACA's age rating bands, which set a limit on how much more an older person pays than a younger person for the same plan. Currently the age rating is set at 3:1, meaning payers cannot charge older adults more than three times what they charge younger adults for the same plan. Republicans want to expand this ratio to 5:1 to incent more young adults to buy insurance. The first hearing will also focus on shortening grace periods for individuals who do not pay their premiums on time and tightening up special enrollment periods, according to the report.
The second hearing will focus on Medicaid reform — but will not address block grants, which are controversial among both Republicans and Democrats, according to the report. This hearing will instead zero in on specific Medicaid eligibility details, such ensuring all Medicaid beneficiaries are citizens or legal residents, and addressing a detail that allows some lottery winners to enroll in Medicaid.
Democrats are doubtful the efforts will be different than bills brought about by Republicans over the past seven years. "I expect my Republican colleagues today will wave around bills and claim they have a plan to replace the ACA — they do not," Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., said at the preliminary hearing Tuesday, according to the report.
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