AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE - What's Next

"After surviving Supreme Court challenge, what’s next for Obamacare coverage and cost?" PBS NewsHour 7/1/2015

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Since the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, what’s next for ensuring the health of the health reform law?  Judy Woodruff speaks to Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell about its successes and what can be improved.

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the health care law, the President headed to Nashville today to make the case that more states should participate.  More than 20 states, mostly led by Republicans, have rejected an expansion of Medicaid, including in Tennessee.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:  And the federal government is there to help and to work with those states that are ready to get going.

I will tell you, the states that have taken full advantage of all the federal options available, they have an even lower uninsured rate and a healthier population, and more people signing up for the options that are available than those state how have not taken full advantage of those options.  And that’s just a fact.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  We pick up on what happens now to the health care law and the issues surrounding coverage and costs.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell is the point person for the administration.

Sylvia Burwell, welcome.

SYLVIA MATHEWS BURWELL, Secretary of Health and Human Services:  Thank you so much for having me.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  So the administration just won this big victory in the Supreme Court just last week, the President already out on the road saying it needs to be improved, the health care law.

How do you know this is a wise approach when, I guess, half the American people say they’re still not sure they like the law?

SYLVIA MATHEWS BURWELL:  Well, I think what we want to do is use this as an opportunity to build on the progress that’s been made.

And whether that’s the progress that’s been made for those that are in the employer-based market, those that no longer can be kept out of insurance because of preexisting conditions or can keep their child on until 26, or those that are newly insured, we have made a lot of progress.

And what we want to do is turn now and build on that progress and use this moment as an opportunity to move forward.