Aetna’s Obamacare Reversal Is Latest Blow to U.S. Health Law

[Gary S]

21. The Republican controlled House of Representatives made sure the Affordable Care Act would fail...

The Republican controlled House of Representatives made sure the Affordable Care Act would fail by funding only 12.6% of the risk pool payments that were promised to the insurance companies under the Affordable Care Act.

Insurance companies built their plans and rates based on how the ACA was written. The ACA included risk caps. When some insurance companies lost large amounts, the federal government was supposed to help them. The Republican controlled congress funded only $362 million (or 12.6 percent) of the $2.87 billion requested by insurers in 2014.

Then, knowing that the Republican congress would betray them again in 2015, 2016, and 2017 it was inevitable that insurers would raise their rates, and that many would drop out. Why? Because they government was not funding the risk pool as the ACA had planned.

How important are risk pools? House Speaker Paul Ryan's plan as $25 BILLION dollars set aside over 10 years. Even HHS Secretary Price has $3 BILLION set aside for 3 years. Yet the Rebublican House only funded $362 million for 1 year (2014) under the Affordable Care Act?

The results of the Republicans' betrayal was totally predictable, and totally preventable. Shame on them for playing politics with the American healthcare system.