Since November 8, a chill has descended among individuals nationwide who are involved with or otherwise care about health care. Like sheep herded to their fate, there has been a resignation that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will be repealed, taking with it coverage for over 23 million people, strong protections for consumers, and innovations in care delivery.
But, if you take a closer look, the repeal and replace “two step” is fraught with difficulty, bolder than the ACA itself, and far from certain to succeed. So I think we all need to take a deep breath and refocus on what's inside the sandwich we are about to be served, and resolve intentionally whether or not we're going to eat it.
I could be wrong. Gutting of the ACA could whistle through the day President Trump is inaugurated, a marvelous, bipartisan replacement plan could swiftly follow, and then everyone will wake up in a few years with at least the same coverage, care quality, and cost containment we have today. But here's five reasons why I don't think that's going to happen:
