‘IMPROVING’ THE LAW
If Republicans seize the Senate from Democrats, Obama may be forced to compromise on key aspects of the law, including requirements that most individuals obtain coverage and that employers with 50 or more workers offer health coverage, two of its most unpopular provisions.
Polls show most Americans would prefer to see Obamacare changed, not repealed. In a March survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation, most Americans dislike the law, but 59 percent wanted it retained or improved.
That could make Republicans think twice about pushing for repeal. But analysts say big changes may still be likely.
Some key features of the law are likely to endure, they say, pointing to the ban on higher costs for people with preexisting medical conditions and new medical business models that discourage costly fee-for-service medicine by putting a priority on patient outcomes and cost savings.
Analysts say Republicans could also scale back marketplace subsidies to help low-income consumers buy insurance, pricing restrictions on insurers and taxes intended to help fund the reform effort. And they predict that if Democrats are chastened by losses in the congressional elections, they might be more inclined to back some Republican proposals.
“Republicans will make changes. It’s not a question of ‘if.’ It’s a question of how many,” said James Capretta, a health policy expert with the conservative Ethics & Public Policy Center.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Caren Bohan, Michele Gershberg and Douglas Royalty)
Article Appeared @http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-rt-us-usa-healthcare-20140330,0,3589717,full.story