What does the Trump Presidency Mean for Physicians?
While we have all been aware of “issues” (complaints and concerns, including pricing) with the Affordable Care Act since its passage, only today has there become some likelihood of a major overhaul or repeal. Donald Trump, the candidate, had said he’d repeal the ACA (his name � “Obamacare”). As President, he actually does not have that power, but Congress does, and Congress now appears to be totally a Republican-controlled institution, starting in January.
While we know physicians are not in love with the ACA, it provides coverage for physician care to 20 million Americans, or more. Repeal without a viable alternative will lead to an increase in uninsured care in hospital EDs and a net decrease in patients in private physician offices. We have been able to model some physician practices to see what the impact would be of a “no ACA” world, and it doesn’t usually look better than today’s scenario. With or without the ACA, insurance carriers are entrenched in the world of more employee high- deductible plans, pre-certification for more and more testing, and fewer networks for the less expensive plans being offered — and this is all through EMPLOYER-sponsored plans. We should all hold on to our hats (and perhaps remind our elected representatives to make sure they don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater � and other metaphors — in repealing the ACA) to protect the health of our less fortunate citizens and the income streams of our physicians and hospitals. Let us know if we can help you plan for the next phase of our national healthcare experimentation.
