A liberal group cautioned Wednesday that repealing Obamacare without any replacement would cause major upheaval in the health insurance market and cause millions to lose their insurance.
The left-leaning think tank Center for American Progress, created by key Clinton adviser John Podesta, took aim at Republicans in what is likely to be a pitched battle over the future of President Obama’s signature domestic achievement. The group said Wednesday that any effort by Republicans to repeal Obamacare and not install a replacement soon will destabilize markets.
“You want to break it? You are responsible,” said Zeke Emanuel, senior fellow at the center in a call with reporters Tuesday.
President-elect Trump and GOP leaders have made repealing Obamacare a priority when they assume power in January. Congress can repeal the law by avoiding a filibuster in the Senate through a procedural move called reconciliation.
Trump has recently said that he plans to have a replacement plan ready for Obamacare ready to go when it is repealed. He said in a recent interview that there would be no gap between repealing the law and the new reforms.
A Health and Human Services Department under the Trump administration could also cut off cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers that are used to help pay down the out-of-pocket cost for low-income Obamacare customers.
The Center for American Progress was wary of working with Republicans on any replacement plan for Obamacare until their intentions can be revealed. “We want Republicans to come up with a replacement package so it can be evaluated,” said Emanuel.
However, House Republicans have issued a proposal that would replace Obamacare’s subsidies with credits linked to age instead of income. It would also expand health savings accounts and enable insurers to sell across state lines, which Republicans have said can create more competition and lower prices.
For now, certainty around a replacement is needed, according to one insurance commissioner.
“They are talking about repealing in a vacuum and that is a guaranteed recipe for absolute uncertainty going forward,” said Mike Kreidler, insurance commissioner for Washington State.
The reconciliation package that passed the Senate last year and repeals Obamacare would allow two years for a replacement to go into effect. However, the center noted that it took three and a half years to set up Obamacare’s exchanges.
“You can’t do this stuff overnight and you need planning,” Manuel said. “Insurers are now planning for the marketplace a year and a half and two and a half years from now.”
