Recently, the Senate voted by a narrow margin to not repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) at this time.
The plan to repeal and replace the ACA first passed the House, but received criticism when it moved to the Senate. After revisions failed to pass, the Senate first voted for a straight repeal of ACA with no replacement. When the repeal didn’t pass, the Senate voted on a “skinny repeal,” which would repeal only key parts of the ACA. That vote failed to pass, as well.
The aftermath of the vote leaves the ACA intact in its entirety.
- Medical plans must continue to offer essential benefits, including doctors’ services, inpatient and outpatient hospital care, prescription drug coverage, pregnancy and childbirth, mental health services, and more.
- Accessibility to plan coverage is intact, including no exclusions for pre-existing conditions, affordable plans, and coverage under a parent’s plan for children up to age 26.
- Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) remain unchanged at this time, but are expected to be debated in the coming months. Medicare Part D notices must be provided to employees during September (we’ll contact you with instructions).
The question now is if and when health care will be reopened for debate and vote. Some think a vote to repeal will come before the Senate again soon but the Senate schedule may be too busy at this moment to reopen the debate just yet.
Nextep will continue to keep tabs on the situation and update our clients of any changes.
Questions? We’re here to help! Contact Nextep’s benefits team by email, chat, the help section of your account, online, or at 888-811-5150.
