Obamacare would get a big (and quiet) overhaul in the Covid relief bill

NBC News

By Benjy Sarlin
An Obamacare sign hangs outside the Leading Insurance Agency, which offers plans under the Affordable Care Act, in Miami on Jan. 28.Joe Raedle / Getty Images

WASHINGTON — The $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that passed the House on Saturday would make one of the biggest changes to the Affordable Care Act in over a decade, and it could set the stage for a broader overhaul of the health care program — but don't be surprised if you haven't heard much about it.

The reforms, which would include temporarily expanding subsidies to purchase insurance and making them available to people of all incomes for the first time, have gotten little attention from either party.

For Democrats, who spent last year debating whether to move to a single-payer system, the more minor changes are uncontroversial and are therefore discussed less than other features of the bill.

Republicans, who have increasingly downplayed their opposition to the ACA, otherwise known as Obamacare, have made little mention of them in messaging against the bill.

Publish : 2021-03-03 17:18:00

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