UPDATE: IMPORTANT: Graham-Cassidy could make thousands of ACA policies illegal NEXT YEAR.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I don't keep up with the many, many threads on G-C. This might not be news to most of you. Anyway:

Hm, was "mass plan cancellations" a political problem for Democrats once? My memory is foggy.

Link to tweet

UPDATE: IMPORTANT: Graham-Cassidy could make thousands of ACA policies illegal NEXT YEAR.

Link to tweet

UPDATE: IMPORTANT: Graham-Cassidy could make thousands of ACA policies illegal NEXT YEAR.
Tue, 09/19/2017 - 12:07pm

The fact that the Graham-Cassidy bill, like all of the prior Republican "replacement" healthcare bills, screws over people on both Medicaid and the individual market starting in 2020 is hardly news. A few provisions of the ACA are stripped out and/or bastardized immediately (and some, like the individual mandate penalty, are even repealed retroactively), but for the most part the pain doesn't start for another 2 years, well after the midterms are over.

However, JP Massar called something to my attention this morning:

Graham-Cassidy, Sections 102 and 103:

Section 102: Modification and Repeal of Premium Tax Credits

• Excludes from the definition of QHP a plan that provides coverage for abortions (except if necessary to save the life of the mother or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest), beginning tax year 2018.

• Repeals the ACA premium tax credits as of January 1, 2020

Section 103: Modification and Repeal of Small Business Tax Credits

• Starting in 2018, amends IRC Section 45R to indicate that the term “qualified health plan” does not include any health plan that includes coverage for abortions, except abortions necessary to save the life of a mother or abortions for pregnancies that are a result of rape or incest.

• Repeals the small business health insurance tax credit beginning as of January 1, 2020.

[Not Ruth]

1. What are tax credits?

Does that mean that you can no longer deduct the cost of health care?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

2. Tax credits are not the same thing as deductions... a tax credit is subtracted directly

from your tax liability and, thus, is far more valuable than a deduction, which is merely subtracted from your gross income before your tax is calculated (tax savings is less).

[andym]

3. Hurting small businesses too!

That's a talking point that could even influence conservatives...

[mythology]

4. They sure spend a lot of time trying to regulate vaginas

Not even just saying abortions don't have to be included to be a qualifying health plan, but specifically saying including abortion coverage would make it not a qualifying plan.