The year 2017 was a tumultuous year with regard to health care reforms in the United States. In July 2017, the seven-year Republican endeavor to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) failed in the Senate due to lack of a suitable replacement. Many termed this effort a “skinny repeal.” After numerous failed attempts, in September 2017, the Senate decided not to vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill to repeal and replace Obamacare.
Despite these legislative setbacks, President Donald Trump took the executive order route to make health care policy announcements and change the existing rules, especially related to health care insurance. In a Dec. 26, 2017 tweet, President Trump was optimistic that the Democrats and Republicans would work together to develop a new, bipartisan health care plan that would be beneficial for all.
Opioid epidemic
The opioid crisis has been a key focus of the Trump administration. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), along with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), announced a series of measures in 2017 to combat the crisis:
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA):
When the attempt to rescind the Obamacare failed, President Trump passed the tax reform bill. The bill passed in December 2017, will affect health care spending in two ways:
Changes to Obamacare
President Trump signed an executive order in October 2017 which aimed to provide affordable health care insurance to millions of additional Americans by giving them more choice and increasing competition, thereby lowering premiums. Key provisions of the order included:
Broadly, the order directed federal agencies to consider easing the rules associated with the issuance of various health plans. These changes would not entail any additional costs to the federal government. Experts, however, expressed concerns about the potential destabilization of insurance markets and higher costs for the elderly and sick Americans due to younger and healthier people exiting plans under Obamacare exchanges.
Discontinuation of health care subsidies
In a follow-up announcement to the October 2017 executive order, President Trump announced the end of reimbursements to Obamacare insurers who were subsidizing payments for low-income individuals. The CBO estimated that premium costs in 2020 would be 25 percent higher due to the discontinuation of these reimbursements. Anticipating this, premiums for 2018 had already increased sharply due to previous hints by President Trump signaling his intention to do away with the reimbursements.
Moreover, the Trump administration did not shy away from blocking important information from the official website of Obamacare, using infographics to portray it in poor light, posting critical YouTube videos, announcing a 40 percent cut in the funds needed to advertise the health plan, not sending officials to the enrolment programs and shutting down the website for 12 hours on Sundays, specifically during the run up to the enrolment period.
Further, the President also reduced the time for open enrollment to less than a month in order to discourage people from joining the health care plan. But, contrary to expectations, the first 18 days of the open period saw nearly 2.3 million people enlisting for Obamacare.
Prescription drug prices
President Trump has also singled out pharmaceutical companies for the high prices of prescription drugs. “Prescription drug prices are out of control,” the President had said in a Cabinet meeting in October 2017. However, no action has so far been taken on this.
Alternatively, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosts two National Prescription Drug Take Back Days in April and October every year. This year, more than 900 tons of prescription drugs were collected across the country on these days.
Addressing opioid addiction
According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 19 million adults suffered from a substance use disorder (SUD). Treatment for any addiction entails a medically assisted detox program. Detox helps in flushing out the accumulated toxins, from years of substance abuse, from the body, preparing the individual for addiction treatment.
The leading detox treatment center in California, Sovereign Health can handle complex cases of substance use disorders with ease. Our multidisciplinary team provides a full diagnostic assessment, designs customized treatment plans and ensures utmost care during the recovery process. If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction to a substance, call our 24/7 helpline or chat online to know about our evidence-based treatment for detox in California.