What will happen to those insured through Obama Care policies?
Republicans support the repeal of the health care law.
This law ended a common industry practice of charging men less than women for policies purchased directly from an insurer. It made maternity and newborn care a required benefit for individual market health plans. Most importantly, it added a list of preventive services to be provided at no extra cost to women, including birth control and breast pumps used by nursing mothers. T
What will the Trump replacement for Obamacare look like?
President Donald Trump says he will soon unveil his proposal to replace Obamacare. Reports say Trump’s plan will offer lower premiums and higher benefits for all. Democrats and many others have concerns that this will cause a backslide of healthcare in general throughout the country. Most say women benefited much more from the 2010 law than men.
A Trump administration spokesman says speculation about components of an Obamacare replacement is premature.
Any and all changes are likely to affect the estimated 18 million people who buy policies directly from an insurer, a group in which women tend to outnumber men. Most people covered by employers have broader benefits and are less likely to be affected.
Obamacare critics argue that required benefits aren’t the only basis for judging the value of a policy. Strip away costly federal requirements, and premiums will come down, they maintain. Women as well as men would benefit from lower-cost options. Potentially the future health of many is at stake.