The Evolution Of The ACA

By: Tom Dimmer, Vice President Business Development, Individual Markets & Exchanges The Affordable Care Act has seemingly been in a constant state of flux since the day it was introduced. But there may finally be some stability with the law thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision in late June. The decision authorizes federal tax credits for eligible Americans living in states with any type of exchange marketplace. The court’s decision makes it hard to imagine a scenario where the ACA is repealed, even if a Republican is elected president in 2016. As the law has changed, ancillary carriers like Renaissance have had to change with it. Our experience as one of the first carriers in the exchanges, as well as our ability to stay nimble, has proven invaluable as we work to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the ACA. Renaissance has changed with the law, constantly working to figure out the best way to serve our customers. One way we do that is by knowing the intricacies of the ACA. For instance, the ACA has put a sharper focus on pediatric dental care by mandating coverage for children. But even with the pediatric mandate, the vast majority of our customers in the federal marketplace are still adults. Since its inception, Americans have become more accustomed to the ACA and everything that comes with it. Insurance carriers, hospitals and doctors have become heavily invested in it as well. There will undoubtedly be challenges to the law despite the Supreme Court’s ruling. The Republican-led House of Representatives has already voted 54 times to repeal the law. Any potential change to the law will have its limits. States could not repeal the part of the law that requires insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions. But it would be possible to repeal the controversial section that mandates coverage for almost all Americans. The bottom line is we could still see significant changes to the law in some states. This could impact a company like Renaissance, which is one of the few ancillary providers to operate nationwide. We could see states with different political perspectives using resources provided by the ACA for purposes for which they were not originally intended. There will be flexibility in the law moving forward, and that grey area means Renaissance will be constantly focused on changes and how they affect the customers we serve.