Trexin was pleased to be invited to present our healthcare expertise at a forum hosted by the Chicago Municipal Analyst Society (CMAS) on Wednesday March 8th entitled “Repeal and Replacement of the ACA: A Look at the Potential Impact on Governments and Health Care Providers.”  Trexin Healthcare Practice Area Executive for Healthcare Policy and Compliance, Laura Zaremba, presented her insights on this timely and dynamic topic for healthcare.

Laura spoke to a crowd of approximately 50 CMAS members, sharing an analysis of several proposals to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), with particular focus on their impact on states. A speaker representing PwC presented insights on how the repeal and replacement of the ACA might impact the provider market. Each presenter spoke for 20 minutes and then took about 10 minutes for questions from the audience.

The discussion focused on how several proposals to repeal the individual and employer mandates to purchase health insurance would impact the individual health insurance market, rates of coverage and cost.  This was followed by an in-depth discussion of the potential implications of repealing the Medicaid expansion and converting Medicaid from an entitlement program to a block grant or per capita program.

Both speakers summarized the successes and shortcomings of the ACA, the likely timeline for repeal and replacement implications, and the impact of anticipated changes context of the overall healthcare sector in the U.S.

The audience posed excellent questions about the short and long-term impact of proposed ACA changes on state and hospital finances and how repealing and replacing the ACA might impact the rate of spending growth in the industry.