Anthem Blue Cross of California
Anthem Blue Cross communication to health insurance agents regarding Trump and congressional Republican positions on Obamacare
December 20, 2016
Over the past several years, Anthem has become an industry thought leader and trusted source of current and accurate information on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other major changes affecting the health insurance industry. With the election of a new Administration and Congress, we expect there to be a heightened focus on the Affordable Care Act. As the new Administration and Congress begin to outline their stance on policies that impact you and our nation’s health care system, we will share that news, potential implications, and any actions we may take as a result.
As a national leader in the industry, Anthem will continue to actively engage with key government leaders to help shape and guide the direction and decisions affecting the health insurance market, with the ultimate goal of providing better health care for all. We have a strong track record of working productively with policymakers and legislators on both sides of the aisle – providing qualitative, data-backed insights into how policy proposals affect our customers.
We conducted an analysis of the House Republican Platform released over the summer, which may serve as a starting point for legislative changes. The below chart shows how some of President-elect Trump’s campaign proposals line up with the House Republican Platform released earlier this year.
President-elect Trump’s Campaign Proposals and House Republican Platform
Additionally, President-elect Donald Trump recently announced the key appointments of House Representative Tom Price (R-GA) as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Indiana-based consultant Seema Verma as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Both of these positions require Senate confirmation.
The HHS Secretary and CMS Administrator are two significant appointments that will contribute to shaping our operating environment at the federal level.
- Congressman Price has a history of working on issues impacting our industry. He has been one of the lead Republicans in the House on legislation to repeal and replace the ACA, and also is an advocate for Medicare reform. He also currently serves as the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, which will play an important role in the reconciliation process which may be used to modify the Affordable Care Act.
- Seema Verma also has a long history of working on health care policy issues and working with many states to design their Medicaid programs, including designing the Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0.
As the post-election priorities on health care reform evolve, we will continue to keep you apprised.
We appreciate your partnership and support as we continue to focus on our mission of helping people gain access to high quality, affordable health care.