1. What were the ACA’s approaches for reducing the number of uninsured?
2. What change did the ACA institute that was of major importance in the individual market that any replacement plan would likely maintain in one form or other?
3. How effective was the individual mandate in expanding the exchange risk pools?
4. Why did adverse selection occur in the health insurance exchanges? 5. How did health insurers respond to adverse selection? 6. What are alternative approaches for subsidizing health insurance for those with a preexisting condition?
The ACA required that all health plans be ACA compliant, which made previous health plans, particularly in the individual market, noncompliant with the law. A public outburst occurred as many millions of individuals were shocked to find that they could not keep their health plan as promised. They were forced to buy new, more costly health plans on the ACA exchanges. PolitiFact, a nonpartisan organization, has called President Obama’s “If you like your healthcare plan, you can keep it,” the Lie of the Year for 2013