Molina CEO J. Mario Molina, MD, said he is concerned Republicans’ rush to implement a repeal of the ACA without bipartisan support will increase premiums and the prevalence of bare-bones health plans. He said potential changes to the ACA’s essential health benefits and elimination of preexisting conditions pose risks to consumers.
“What worries me is it allows insurance companies to charge much higher premiums for people with preexisting conditions and at the same time, by changing the essential health benefits, insurance policy companies offer packages at a lower price, which theoretically will appeal to younger people,” Dr. Molina told CNBC. “The problem is, those people find out when they get sick, the insurance premium and the package they purchased do not cover their condition, the treatment they need or the medications.”
In addition, Dr. Molina said cost-sharing reductions that help individuals purchase health insurance through the ACA marketplace are “crucial” for the short-term preservation of the individual marketplace.
He said a GOP health plan must “fund the CSRs for the next two years to buy Congress the time to come up with some reform legislation. If they don’t do that, the individual market collapses, and that would be terrible for the country.”
Vice President Mike Pence and other Trump administration officials met with Republican lawmakers Tuesday to negotiate its next attempt at an ACA repeal and replacement.
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