What does President Trump’s executive order dealing Obamacare mean for your health care?
On inauguration day President Trump made a strong statement by publicly signing an executive order that could lead to the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Since then, the media has scrambled to decode the meaning of that order, resulting in a stir of confusion for consumers evaluating their healthcare options just before the enrollment deadline. Many are wondering what impact, if any, this order has on their available choices this year and whether or not they should make decisions based on proposed healthcare law changes.
In short, the President’s order is a strong signal of intent that allows agencies to act only within “the maximum extent permitted by law.”
Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation said, “Many of the changes envisioned in this order will take time to implement, but it signals a clear direction.”
While lawmakers will likely soon consider options for future changes to the law, the order in and of itself does not change the current law.
Since the law has not yet changed, specific requirements, such as the individual mandate, have not changed. Not maintaining healthcare coverage for 2017 could still bring a penalty of up to $2,085 at tax filing time.
Secondly, the healthcare options currently available for 2017 will not change. Any law changes will take significant time to develop and consumers should make their healthcare decisions based on what is currently available.