The Affordable Care Act’s future for 2017

With a new administration promising to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), 2017 may be a different year. However, with all large changes that may be coming, it is virtually guaranteed that repealing the ACA and replacing it with something else requires, in the words of House Speaker Paul Ryan, “a good transition period.” No matter how much Americans want change that change will need to accommodate the over 20 million people who did buy health insurance under the ACA.

A replacement plan has to be put into place before the ACA could be repealed. While there is a replacement plan on the table, it is not clear if that plan will be sufficient for American families and seniors to keep affordable health insurance that suits their needs. In the meantime, things remain unaffected, pending changes.

One portion of the ACA, referring to coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions and young adults staying on their parents insurance until they turn 26 may be kept and/or tweaked as new plans are formulated.

Speaker Ryan was not clear on how long a transition period would last, but some reports indicate that it might take up to three years to accomplish the kind of massive shift in health care.