Republicans Have a Big Health Care Problem

Now that a Texas judge has ruled that the entire Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional — all because of its individual mandate — a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll suggests Republicans “may find themselves wishing for a different outcome.”

“There is little hope of a deal with Democrats on health reform in a divided Congress if the decision is upheld. Democrats will now use the 2020 campaign to paint Republicans as threatening a host of popular provisions in the ACA. And here’s the kicker: protections for pre-existing conditions, the provision that played such a big role in the midterms, is not even the most popular one.”

Here are some of the more popular provisions that would be eliminated — in order of their popularity:

• Young adults can remain on their parents’ health insurance policies until age 26: 82% of the public supports this, including 66% of Republicans.
• Subsidies for lower and moderate income people: 81% support this, including 63% of Republicans.
• Closing the “donut hole” so there’s no gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage: 81% like this, as do 80% of Republicans.
• Eliminating costs for many preventive services: 79% support this, as do 68% of Republicans.
• Medicaid expansion: 77% like it, as do 55% of Republicans.