American College of Physicians reiterates its support of the ACA post election
Highlights of the ACP statement regarding the specific pieces of the ACA (Obamacare):
• Strengthening graduate medical education funding and primary care training programs to ensure that the U.S. is training a sufficient number of internists with the skills needed to provide the highest quality care
• Supporting the successful transition to quality based payments and new physician-led alternative payment models, as authorized by the bipartisan Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA)
• Redesigning quality measurement to make it clinically relevant, actionable and meaningful for doctors and patients alike
• Addressing the high cost of prescription drugs
• Reducing administrative burdens that interfere with the patient-physician relationship
We are also aware of areas where ACP's policy objectives do not appear to be aligned with those of the new administration and Congress and may be more challenging:
• We remain committed to sustaining the gains that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made in expanding coverage to tens of millions of people and driving down the uninsured rate to historic lows. While we will consider new approaches to help people get and keep coverage, the result should not be more Americans having to go without coverage or the loss of other key patient protections, such as removing the prohibition on health plans excluding or charging higher premiums to patients with pre-existing conditions. We will seek to address barriers to care created by high deductible plans, narrow networks, and rising premiums. We will also continue to advocate for expanding the Medicaid program to all persons up to 138% of the federal poverty level in all states.
• We believe it is essential to continue the progress being made on addressing the health impacts of climate change. Climate change will have a catastrophic impact on health, both in the U.S. and globally. We must do everything possible to prevent a rollback of the commitments made by the U.S. and other countries to combat it.
• We will continue to advocate for evidence-based policies to reduce injuries and deaths from firearms, included closing loopholes in the U.S. background check system, at both the federal and state levels."
https://www.acponline.org/system/files/documents/advocacy/where_we_stand/assets/2016_election_update.pdf
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