Expect Piecemeal ACA Reform if Senate Goes GOP #ICD10 #ICDRemediator #ICD10Matters #HealthIT

Expect Piecemeal ACA Reform if Senate Goes GOP 

Published: Nov 3, 2014 | Updated: Nov 4, 2014



By Joyce Frieden, News Editor, MedPage Today



WASHINGTON -- If Republicans end up controlling both the House and Senate after Tuesday's election, expect healthcare reform and Medicare to be high on the agenda, say experts.



The first thing a Republican-controlled Senate would do is attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), said Chet Speed, vice president of public policy at the American Medical Group Association in Alexandria, Va.



He noted that such a move would be a "largely symbolic" gesture, since any piece of legislation targeting the ACA would be immediately vetoed by President Obama. But it would be "a nod to folks that helped them to retake the majority," said Speed.



From a more practical standpoint, Republicans in the Senate would likely use a process known as "reconciliation" to try to pass certain pieces of a healthcare agenda. Reconciliation requires only 51 votes, and would be used to go after certain aspects of the ACA, such as "the individual mandate, the employer mandate, and the medical device tax," said Speed. In particular, the medical device tax is universally unpopular, and repealing it might even garner support from the other side of the aisle as well.



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