What's next for ACA?

Republicans have long been trying to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act. With the Republicans gaining control of the White House and both houses of Congress, many are wondering what will happen to the legislation. The Democrats hold enough seats in the Senate that they should be able to filibuster attempts to simply repeal the ACA. However, even if the Republicans could pass whatever legislation they wanted to replace ACA, The Washington Post points out that the Republicans will be hard-pressed to come up with a plan that meets their objectives and would be liked by Americans, without seeming too similar to ACA itself. Certain Republican ideas -- such as allowing individuals who purchase their own insurance to receive a tax deduction like employers currently do and expanding access to Health Savings Accounts -- seem like good ideas, but unlikely to be sufficient on their own. The article lists a number of areas that Republicans might want to trim, but also points out how their current popularity would make them difficult targets.

Probably to the relief of many who have had trouble getting insurance before, The Wall Street Journal published an article indicating that the president-elect would like to keep the prohibition on insurers from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. Avik Roy, a conservative health policy commentator, has been quick to point out that this position is consistent with what was said on the campaign trail.