Some GOP Consider Restarting Risk Adjustment Payments

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) has been in talks with the Trump administration about restarting risk adjustment payments to insurers after CMS suddenly cut them. However, the stance seems to be that this might be accomplished via a bill in Congress.^[1]

The “problem,” from a liberal perspective at least, is that the bill would come with other Republican-favored repeal and replace line items.

Thus, the end result would be:

1. The Trump administration cuts risk adjustment payments to insurers potentially causing premiums to spike next year.
2. The GOP offers the solution of passing a fix to the problem it created in a bill alongside other legislation they want.
3. They get another chunk of the ACA as it is repealed, and then they replace it with another bit of their repeal and replace plan.

This is, for the country, better than doing nothing from this point, as it will likely stave off potential premium increases (caused by the Trump administration’s actions in the first place).

However, all things considered, fixing a problem that you caused is a little different than just “fixing a problem.”

Anyway, it is a nuanced topic and those pushing for a solution are closer to being in-line with advocates of the Affordable Care Act than those who aren’t seeking a legislative solution at all.

For more reading, see: GOP chairman in talks with Trump officials on restarting key ObamaCare payments.

1. GOP chairman in talks with Trump officials on restarting key ObamaCare payments. TheHill.com.