Look at Washington's '90s debacle before killing Obamacare, Kreidler and insurers tell Congress
Washington's insurance commissioner and 14 health insurers offered guidance to the state's congressional delegation this week as Congress gears up to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to as Obamacare.
Washington knows firsthand how repealing mandated health care harms the health insurance market and the people using it, the group explains in a letter.
The state passed health care reform in the 1990s only to repeal the mandate two years later, which sent premiums soaring as high as 78 percent by the late 90s. Eventually, people could not buy an individual health plan in Washington and insurers stopped offering individual coverage, the letter said.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler and the 14 insurers, who cover more than 5 million Washington residents and are part of the Association of Washington Healthcare Plans, urged Congress to consider Washington’s experience before moving forward with repeal.
The group recommended against repealing the ACA without laying out a viable, comprehensive plan for its replacement. Otherwise, the already fragile market will quickly destabilize, harming millions of people with health coverage.
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/health-care-inc/2017/01/obamacare-repeal-washington-insurers-kreidler.html?ana=e_ptl_hc&u=ColXVN5SPzQtLHFP87ho2w07857290&t=1484873418&j=77127991
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