President-elect Donald Trump revealed his healthcare plans during the campaign trail, promising to repeal the Affordable Care Act, create a block-grant for the Medicaid program and open competition for insurance companies across state lines.
Mr. Trump's plan would repeal the ACA but add a tax deduction for health insurance premiums paid by households.
Here is the affect of enacting Mr. Trump's plan, according to a report from The Commonwealth Fund.
1. The tax deduction would increase the deficit by $41 billion relative to the ACA, which would be the cost of the tax deduction.
2. If the Medicaid block-grant is set to the pre-ACA levels and adjusted for inflation, the block-grant program would increase the deficit by $0.5 billion. But that would still be less expansive than a full repeal.
3. If the state lines opened up to allow insurers to sell across state lines, the deficit would increase by $33.7 billion, according to the report, relative to the ACA.
4. The uninsured rate would increase by around 3.6 million to 5 million, with an increase on the higher end if the Medicaid block grants went into affect. The total number of uninsured individuals would rise to around 25 million.
5. Insurance companies wouldn't be required to cover people with pre-existing conditions. Out-of-pocket expenses are expected to rise for plans purchased on the individual market.
Mr. Trump's plans also support expanding health savings accounts, increased price transparency and eliminating "barriers to entry" in the pharmaceutical industry.