Prominent Republican and presidential hopeful Scott Walker unveiled this week his plans for the future of American health insurance.
Speaking at a manufacturing company in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, Walker proposed to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with legislation that would give tax credits to all Americans without access to employer-provided healthcare, regardless of income.
Walker’s plan would also eliminate the individual mandate as well as requirements that insurance cover check-ups, mammograms and other preventative measures at no cost. Under his proposal, Americans could purchase insurance across state lines.
“It’s all about freedom,” said Walker, who criticized the GOP-led Congress for failing to pass legislation repealing the ACA.
Repealing the ACA could be politically complicated, as 19 million people rely on Obamacare for health insurance, and Americans are now virtually split down the middle in their support for the law. A July poll from USA Today revealed that 45% of Americans approve of the Affordable Care Act, while 44% do not.
Furthermore, even conservative-leaning analysts have suggested the desire to repeal Obamacare may be little more than a pipe dream.
“Only 18% of Americans want to go back to the system we had before because they do not want to go back to some of the problems we had,” said Republican pollster Whit Ayres. “Smart Republicans in this area get that.”
That does not mean all is well with the ACA, however. A Deloitte report issued earlier this month found that just 20% of enrollees in ACA plans are satisfied with their policies, compared with 42% satisfaction from people with employer-sponsored plans.
Cost remains the biggest factor in customer unhappiness. With out-of-pocket costs capped at a sky-high $6,600 per person, many respondents say their cost-sharing burden may as well be $600,000, it’s so unlikely they will be able to pay it.
As for other Republicans in the field, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has not made ACA repeal part of his campaign strategy and has even publicly decried the repeal effort. Donald Trump, who is currently leading in polls, says Obamacare is a “disaster,” but reiterated that he does believe in “healthcare for everybody.”
