Health Affairs’ blog post outlines the implications of yesterday’s Senate vote to repeal large parts of the Affordable Care Act, including the individual and employer mandate. Based on Congressional Budget Office projections, the repeal would increase the number of uninsured by at least 24 million.
The House has used taxpayer dollars to pass over 50 ACA repeal bills since the Republicans took control in 2011, but this is the first time the Senate has passed an ACA repeal bill. The House will almost certainly pass the Senate legislation, then the President will veto it, and, lacking veto override votes, that will end the effort as a matter of legislation. However, through this vote, the Republicans have indicated what parts of the ACA they would target if they won the White House in 2016.
Marion R. Sills, MD, MPH 