By Robert Pear
The new year is shaping up as one of change and challenges for health care and the Affordable Care Act although the open enrollment period has gone smoothly so far.
As state legislatures convene in coming weeks many will again wrestle with the question of whether to expand Medicaid. Several Republican governors have expressed new
interest but they face skeptical legislators in their own party. Ohio and Arkansas which expanded Medicaid this year will refight those battles in 2015.
And for a third straight year the Supreme Court will take up issues arising from the Affordable Care Act among them a challenge to the subsidies that make coverage affordable. If critics prevail millions of people in states that use the federal insurance exchange could lose their subsidies.
A ruling against the subsidies could create a political quandary for Republicans whom Democrats would accuse of taking insurance from the needy. A more general question for 2015 is how Republicans will use their new control of Congress. Will they send President Obama a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act? Will they pass legislation to chip away at it? Will the Obama administration negotiate with Republicans over such changes?
Or will Mr. Obama use his veto power to beat back all changes? And finally will Republican presidential candidates continue to insist on repeal?
In March and April many taxpayers will for the first time face what the individual mandate means to them. On their tax returns they will need to certify that they had insurance in 2014 or qualified for an exemption or else they will have to pay a penalty the individual shared responsibility payment."
