Local expert weighs in on how changes to Affordable Care Act could affect Colorado
The future of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is once again in doubt.
Today, a Federal Appeals Court will consider the fate of the insurance law. It sets the stage for a major decision later this summer that could impact health care benefits for millions of Americans and supercharge the debate over the law in the heat of the 2020 campaign.
KRDO is asking what that means for the thousands of people in Colorado who are insured under the Affordable Care Act.
Local Medicare expert Rich Lewis with Medicare Mentors, an organization that helps veterans and low-income families understand the healthcare system, says any changes could come with big consequences — especially for those who use Medicare.
When the Affordable Care Act became law, it came with provisions that change some parts of Medicare.
“In a lot of ways the Affordable Care Act gave some people options that they didn’t have before,” says Lewis. But on the other hand, says Lewis, ACA took away options that people did want and had previously.
What happens next and how it could affect you relies on whether Republicans are successful in repealing it.
Today, Democrats held a press conference in response to the hearing.
Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi was quoted saying that the ACA is a “pillar of health and economic security.”
Meanwhile, Republicans fight to repeal it. An attorney who supports the repeal said, “it was clear that today, the 5th Circuit found that Obamacare is unconstitutional.”
Lewis explains he’s not sure politicians have the right answer.
He said that there are “a lot of really smart people who really do care about the health of individuals but really struggle with how to [provide] that.”
President Trump and other Republican leaders have touted their own healthcare plan to replace the ACA, but have not revealed any details.
