Healthcare reform of the Trump administration
Before and immediately after he was elected as the leader of the Free World, Donald Trump indicated his intention to implement healthcare reform to Obamacare. Although these forms will unfold in stages throughout the Trump administration, the reforms will likely maintain only two parts of The Affordable Care Act. These are the protective cover applicable to pre-existing conditions and the applicability of the healthcare insurance covers of parents to their children that are at most 26 years old.
The full elements of the healthcare reform that are bound to accompany the Trump administration include the following. The Trump administration’s health reforms have been described to reflect values that are important to Republicans, with some already in place in varying degrees.
Elimination of individual mandate
A major healthcare reform of Obamacare is the elimination of the individual mandate. The individual mandate would be replaced by other healthcare reform regulations which are expected to perform better than the individual mandate. Already as of January 1st 2019 the penalty for not having health coverage is no longer being enforced.
Flexibility of health insurance
Trumpcare is expected to focus heavily on the flexibility as well as affordability of health insurance through measures which include allowing minimal influence of the federal government over healthcare plans as well as the official elimination of the tax penalty that accompanies not having health insurance. It is also noteworthy that Trump care aims to promote competitiveness between health insurance providers with the goal of reducing the cost of health insurance for the average American.
With the reforms, employee wellness programs will also be continued. Towards affordability of health insurance, Trump-care also aims to empower small businesses to make better negotiation by pulling resources together. Employer-sponsored health insurance will also be maintained with Trump-care.
Transparency of health insurance providers.
Health insurance providers would be expected to share explicit information about their offers towards the aim of flexibility and affordability. Healthcare reform of the Trump administration aim to ensure that health insurance providers provide as much information as is necessary for consumers to make informed decisions.
This transparency which will also be expected of healthcare providers will enable consumers to be able to shop for the best option and gain the most benefits from their premiums.
Consumer protection
The healthcare reform claim they will also revolve heavily around protecting the consumer with accompanying measures such as the protection of persons with pre-existing conditions that’s already in place under Obamacare. Other measures include the limitation of the cost of insurance for older consumers.
States that are able to implement innovations that would reduce premiums will also be rewarded appropriately. It is noteworthy that measures that ensure that insurance providers cannot carryout dubious activities will also be implemented. The measures to protect the average consumer will also include the coverage of children that are 26 years old and below by the insurance of their parents, a measure which will be carried over from Obamacare,
Regardless of the health condition of an individual, the healthcare reform will include a one-time open enrollment period. To ensure fair treatment of consumers, the reforms will also include measures that encourage healthcare providers to carry out their ultimate role of saving lives.
Drug availability
The restricted availability of drugs has been identified as one of the factors that contribute to the increasing cost of healthcare. Measures to encourage accessibility of drugs are thus part of the healthcare reform of the Trump administration. Measures that address this issue include enhanced access to free markets by drug companies.
With drug companies, including those from overseas, having restricted opportunities for their products, the cost of healthcare and, in extension, health insurance is said to reduce.
Research and innovation
Trumpcare aims to encourage research and innovation in the healthcare reform sector, with the overall aim of making healthcare services more accessible and effective. The aim of improving research and innovation in the healthcare sector is based on the 21st Century Cures Act which specifies stronger commitment to breakthroughs, especially new cures.
Measures aimed at encouraging innovation include increased funding of established medicine with the role of innovation and research. Such institutions include the National Institute of Health. To drive innovation and the speed of discovery of new products, Trumpcare is also aimed at reducing the bureaucracy associated with testing and approving of healthcare products by FDA.
Tax deduction
Trumpcare is likely to include the extension of the tax deductibility nature of taxes of businesses to individual taxes. The Healthcare reform will include allowing individuals, just like businesses, to deduct health insurance premiums from taxes. This reform would apply to the tax system that is currently implemented.
Medicare
Medicare may or may not be a component of Trumpcare. Modifications will, however, likely be implemented. The modifications that will be applied to Medicare include those that are bound to manage the redundancy of the program. Thus, elements of Medicare that are not in the best interest of the consumer will be eliminated. The basic structure of Medicare will be reformed also. The elements of Medicare which are bound to be eliminated include the independent advisory board which will be repealed. The center for Medicaid and Medicare Innovation will also be annulled. To ensure that Medicaid as maximum effects, the ban on hospitals that are owned by physicians will be lifted. The Medicare Advantage program is claimed to also be improved as part of health reforms of the Trump administration.
Structural reforms of Medicare will include uncompensated care reforms as well as the merging of plans A and B of Medicare. The health reforms will also focus on the protection and encouragement of healthy doctor- patient relationships to improve the effectiveness of Medicare. Medicare structural reforms will also include the reform of uncompensated care. The focus of Trumpcare is also on the preservation of Medicare, and this will be achieved by measures such as increased flexibility of the plans available to eligible individuals.
Medicaid
Healthcare Reform of the Trump administration also include measure to ensure the effectiveness of Medicaid. These measures will include reduced funding from the federal government. The federal government will be less involved in Medicaid allowing state governments to implement the most appropriate measures for their populations. The reduced funding of Medicaid by the federal government is expected to reduce vices associated with Medicaid such as overspending and fraud.
Overall, Trumpcare aims to improve access to healthcare reform by implementing measures that align with Republican values. Depending on the outcome of the next election we will see if any of these changes will take effect.