Can Obamacare Be Saved? Hawaii Health Bills Try To Save Parts Of Affordable Care Act

Lawmakers in Hawaii were looking to create a state health care bill that would maintain the consumer benefits considered to be the “best parts” of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

With the fate of the national health care law also known as Obamacare in jeopardy amid President Donald Trump’s pledge to repeal and replace it, a bill has been introduced in each the Hawaii House and Senate. They both include some of the existing ACA mandates, such as the requirement for all individuals to purchase health insurance and prohibition of insurance companies from denying coverage to anyone with pre-existing conditions.

The potential state legislation would also make sure insurance companies couldn’t institute a lifetime maximum on coverage. The bills were additionally seeking to allow young people the ability to remain on their parents’ health insurance plans until the age of 26 and ensure that women do not have to pay more for their insurance than men by keeping some of the benefits offered under Obamacare like pregnancy care.

“Before the Affordable Care Act, a very sick child could use up all their lifetime benefits within days or months,” chairwoman of the state House Health Committee, Rep. Della Au Belatti, told the Associated Press.

The bill presented to the state Senate was amended to include an income tax credit aimed at helping those mandated to sign up for health insurance pay their premiums. But it remained unclear whether federal funds would be provided to the individuals who have low incomes and might not be able to afford being insured.

Since the Affordable Care Act was put in place in 2010, roughly 54,000 people in Hawaii have signed up for health insurance, according to the federal Department of Health and Human Services. More than 20 million Americans across the country gained coverage, as well.

The approval ratings for Obamacare have increased by 6 percentage points to 47 percent since the beginning of January, according to a Morning Consult/Politico survey released Sunday. Conversely, the healthcare law's disapproval rating, which was at 52 percent at the start of January, decreased to 45 percent.