What We're Reading: GOP Weighs Fixing ACA, Covering Illegal Immigrants, and Vulnerable Patients

Talk of the ACA Shifts to Repair

The talk about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has shifted among Republicans and the White House. According to The Wall Street Journal, President Donald Trump’s administration is considering how to shore up the ACA’s marketplaces. CMS has proposed a rule to stabilize the individual insurance market, but details still aren’t public. Meanwhile, Republicans are discussing how to repair Barack Obama’s health law. The talk on the Hill has shifted away from swiftly repealing the ACA.

California Lawmaker Discusses Plans to Cover Illegal Immigrants

Shortly after Trump took office, California withdrew a request for permission to sell unsubsidized health coverage through Covered California to illegal immigrants. In a new Q&A with California Healthline, state Democrat Senator Ricardo Lara, who initially made the request, discussed the decision to withdraw the waiver and how California will move forward with efforts to expand health coverage to immigrants without papers. California is home to more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants.

Keeping Protections for Vulnerable Patients

In an opinion piece for STAT, Michael J. Stephen, MD, who works with patients who have cystic fibrosis, outlines the protections that the ACA has provided for people with crippling chronic conditions. Beyond the 2 most popular provisions of the law—coverage for preexisting conditions and coverage until age 26 on a parent’s policy—the ACA also provides protections for participating in clinical trials, which has proven key to developing new medicines.